Made For Each Other
by SanoGirl
Summary: {Under the Glass Moon} Luka is lonely when all of a sudden a girl appears out of nowhere. But is she really what he's looking for?
1. Part I

Made For Each Other

~*~

"Here, Neo. Take these," he said, handing a small stack of books to his young apprentice. Flicking dark hair out of his eyes, he turned to the open window beside him, Neo's receding footsteps echoing in his ears.

Outside, Luel was kneeling down in his garden, arms covered in dirt up to the elbows, trying to show Nell how to maintain a garden. The young girl was also covered in dirt, and her tongue was caught between her top and bottom lips in concentration. Luka could tell from the way Luel seemed transfixed by her mouth that he was having a hard time resisting the urge to capture her lips and tongue with his own.

But that problem was solved when she looked up and her eyes met his. Smiling, both leaned in and Luka turned away disgustedly as they kissed. But deep down inside, even he knew that his disgust was only skin-deep. Secretly, he longed for the sort of passion and caring his brother and Nell shared; in his heart, he knew he was lonely. Sure, he had had many lovers in the past, but they had only wanted him because of his status, because he was Luka Guillaume Reinhardt. And he had only wanted them for the pleasure and fulfillment it gave him; not because he needed or wanted love in his life.

Amber eyes unfocused, he stood there staring at the wall until the sound of a cough reached his ears. Starting, he turned and found Neo standing there, looking at him strangely. "Master, about those books you gave me…"

But the young man's voice flowed through his ears like water. He heard Neo, but his mind didn't register any of what his apprentice was saying. His mind was somewhere in the vicinity of the sky, soaring among the dark gray clouds that threatened rain upon them all. And so it was that when he finally came back down to earth, it was because of Neo's gentle shaking. "M-master?!" he cried shakily.

Luka shook his head and found himself sprawled on the floor. Eyes flying wide open, he quickly sat up and propped himself up with one arm, using the other to rub at his eyes and forehead.

"Master Luka? Are you alright?" Neo asked, worry tainting his voice.

"Fine, fine," Luka replied, waving away Neo's hands. "I'm…I'm just a little tired. I think I'm going to go lie down for the rest of the afternoon. Finish reading those books I gave you and make sure I'm not disturbed by anyone!" Getting up, he grabbed his own book off the windowsill and headed towards his room.

What had gotten into Master Luka? Watching him go, Neo ran through all the things that could have possibly gone wrong since that morning. "_Let's see_…" he thought. "_Well, Nell and Luel were all over each other at breakfast this morning, but what else is new? He misplaced one of his spell books too, but that's not too major and he found it again about an hour later. All I've done so far today is read, so it can't have been me…can it? Fuan hasn't show up in a while either, so it can't be that! What is going on?!_"

The confused apprentice shook his head and picked up the spell book that he had dropped when Master Luka had fallen to the floor. Dusting it off, he opened it back up to his page and walked off down the hall in the opposite direction, intent on the contents of the chapter he was reading.

Meanwhile, Luka locked his door and flopped down on his bed with a heavy sigh. He was going to have to do something…and fast. Otherwise he would go crazy! Being alone had never bothered him before, so why should it now? He had thrived on solitude and seclusion, never really letting himself get close to anyone. Not even his own brother knew everything there was to know about him. So why should it matter now?

His mind awhirl, the 21st century's greatest wizard rolled over and fell asleep, his sleep plagued by half-forgotten specters of old intertwined with hazy images of his father and Luel. Tossing frequently, he did not awake until several hours later when Nell knocked on his door for dinner.

"Luka! Luka!" The pounding on his door throbbed inside his head, and brought back aching memories of the headache he had gotten earlier.

"What?!" he shouted irritably.

"Dinner's ready. Sheesh, you sleep like a rock!" the young girl said through the door, before turning and heading back towards the kitchen.

Groaning, Luka somehow managed to stand up and tossing on a shirt, he unlocked his door and followed his nose towards the tantalizing smells of food wafting down the hall.

The house was in shadows and from what the wizard could see through the windows, it seemed as if night had already fallen. Thick clouds hid the moon and a gentle rain had already started, falling in silky curtains to the soft spring grass. Moodily he glowered at the clear glass as the rain started to come down harder; the weather mirrored his horrible mood.

Face still twisted in an unpleasant grimace, Luka sat himself down at the table and reached for whatever food was in front of him. Spearing himself a piece of chicken he tossed it on his plate along with a biscuit and some mashed potatoes. He ate mechanically, as if it were something he had to do but didn't enjoy doing; he didn't even taste what he put in his mouth.

Staring off into space for the second time that day, his food lost even the slight attention it had been receiving before and became completely unimportant.

Only the simultaneous sounds of the doorbell ringing and Madame Batolli's loud, "Luka! Don't put salad dressing on your mashed potatoes!" brought him back from his daydream. Startled, he put down the bottle of dressing and dumped his mashed potatoes in the trash on his way to the front door.

He was followed by Luel. "Now who would be at our door this late at night in this ghastly weather?" his brother wondered.

Shrugging, the older of the two opened the door wide and was surprised to find a young woman standing on his doorstep, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt your dinner or anything, but as you can see the weather's turned bad and I was caught in the middle of it with nowhere to go. Do you think you could spare me a room for the night? I'll pay you for it of course."

Even though her question was directed at Luka, it was Luel who answered once he noticed his brother's disbelief. Pushing the dumbfounded man out of the way he smiled at the young woman. "Yes, you can have a room, we've got an empty one upstairs you may use. Please, come in and pardon my brothers rudeness, he's not feeling well tonight." And the blond-haired sorcerer led the girl into the house, motioning for Luka to shut the door against the pounding rain.

Closing the door, but remaining in the front hall, Luka leaned back against the solid wood and let out his breath in a whoosh. What was going on?! He would have known if someone with that kind of magical power existed in the world, so where did she come from? How was it possible?!

Slowly he sank to the floor and rested his head in his hands. Today had been a bizarre day, for sure, but this took the cake. Hearing Madame Batolli's loud laughter he sighed and stood up. Well, at least if she was a threat, she hadn't killed them yet. So, throwing his long hair over his shoulder, he rejoined the others for dinner, only to find that the girl was watching his every move.


	2. Part II

Made For Each Other

~*~

"So…what's your name?" Luka asked uncomfortably as he and the young girl from the previous night stood outside and watched Luel work with Nell in his garden.

Shortly after she had arrived last night, he had once again used the explanation that he wasn't feeling well to get him out of the room and back into solitude. He had left so abruptly and been there for only a short period of time to begin with, that he had never caught her name.

"Hiryuu [1]," she replied, not looking at him.

He snorted in response. "Hiryuu? That sounds Japanese to me and frankly-" He took in her pale blonde hair and tall, slim frame, "you don't look one damn bit Japanese. What's your _real_ name?"

With a glare that could have shattered stone, she whirled upon him, hair swirling around her. "My name is Hiryuu!" she yelled irately as her purple eyes crackled and spat venom.

"_Purple eyes?_" Luka thought. "You sure as heck aren't named Hiryuu!" he shouted back, hackles rising. "What are you trying to hide from us?! I'm not stupid, and though you may have fooled the others, you cannot fool me!"

"Oh, _excuse me_," she sneered. "I forgot you were the great and powerful Luka Guillaume Reinhardt!" Her eyes still crackled with an angry light though, even as her body stance relaxed a little.

Anger springing to life in his own eyes, Luka was just about to shoot back a cutting retort when he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a very painful smack. "OW!" he screamed and spun around to face the offending party.

Madame Batolli glared at him as she stood with her arms crossed. "What is going on here?" Her voice was deadly calm and cool as an autumn day. Behind him, Nell winced slightly; she knew what was coming. "Hiryuu just got here, and she is your brother's guest! You have no right nor any excuse to be shouting at her."

His eyes flying wide open as he realized that the witch really did believe the young women, he opened and closed his mouth several times, but the words just wouldn't come. Rolling her eyes, the older woman brushed right by him and took Hiryuu's arm. "Come along dear, let me see if there's anything I can get you for your room." The two women walked off together, whispering conspiratorially in that special way in which only females could.

Only after they had entered the large house did the full impact of what Madame Batolli had said hit him. _Brother's guest?!_ Turning slowly, he found Luel's gaze already upon him and his mouth turned upwards in a sheepish smile. Once again struck mute by a combination of rage and disbelief, the wizard just turned and headed into the house himself.

"Uh-oh…" Luel muttered to Nell. "I don't think that went over too well."

"Oh well," the young girl replied. "He'll get over it, just as always." She was busy planting a row of sage plants and hadn't been paying much attention to anything either of the two brothers had said.

Shaking his head and muttering something about brothers and tempers and amiability, he knelt back down beside his fiancée and continued helping her with the medicinal plants.

And even as the two lovers carried on with their planting, Luka was busy in his lab, furiously working with his newest spells and incantations, working out the frustration he felt towards "Hiryuu". The pale walls and ancient atmosphere of his lab had a soothing effect on the young man's nerves; he often came down here whenever he was stressed or angry, the magic and age of the place calming him down more then any human being ever could.

Shouting the incantation one last time, he watched as a few flames sputtered to life in the palms of his hands. He smiled a satisfied little smile and let the flames wink out. It wasn't quite the effect the spell was intended for, but he was working on it, and it was coming along well.

Planning on leafing through the spell book he hadn't finished yesterday, he turned towards the large bookshelf along one wall and nearly died of a heart attack when he found Hiryuu standing there, leaning casually against the dark, polished wood. Her face was painted in an extraordinarily smug grin and her eyes glittered with thinly veiled spite. Even with the mask of instigation covering her face, Luka had to admit she was beautiful. Long platinum-blonde hair fell nearly to the backs of her knees and her smooth skin was pulled taut over a slender frame. The perfect balance of muscle and skin gave her the appearance of a crouching tiger. "_Or…_" Luka added as an afterthought. "_A dragon._"

Stepping forward, his rage at the intrusion return swiftly. "What are you doing down here?!" he snarled.

Still smiling the infuriating grin of hers, she turned away from him and walked along the length of the bookcase, running the tips of her fingers along the spines of the books. "I followed your magic aura," she said, the pointed toes of her knee-high boots tapping loudly on the stone floor. "I was just _dying_ to see the world's greatest wizard at work."

His hackles rose at her tone. Even though a little voice in the back of his mind was screaming at him that this was just what Hiryuu wanted, he shoved the voice out and clenched his fists. "No one comes in here save myself!" His voice level rose to a shout for the second time that day.

"Tsk, tsk," she answered, shaking her head and keeping her cool. "Such a temper on this one."

But before Luka could get another word in, she disappeared and he was left staring at empty air. Slamming his fist down on the table, he shouted, "Damn you, Hiryuu!" His fury only increased as he glanced over towards his bookshelf and found one of the books missing. "Damn you to hell!" he shouted, even louder this time and charged up the stairs after her.

~*~

The shade was cool on her skin as she sat beneath the leafy branches, leafing through the pilfered book. Bored, she tossed it aside; she had learned all those spells ages ago. Yawning, she leaned back and closed her eyes, resting her head against the rough bark of the huge oak that sheltered her. Luka would be coming after her any time soon, but she didn't bother masking her aura. Hiryuu enjoyed toying with people like Luka and she was having an especially fun time now because he was so easy to provoke.

Sleep came quick and easy, and soon her chest rose and fell in time with her deep even breaths. Not even the arrival of a panting Luka disturbed her nap and he paused as he came under the oak's shadow and watched her intently. Once more, he had to stop and admire her beauty as a mixture of shadows and sunlight played across her skin. As he stepped forward, on cat-like feet, to peer closer he saw that her skin was unblemished and that her lips were a perfect pink. Her mouth was parted slightly while she slept and Luka had to resist the urge to brush the tips of his fingers over the tempting lips.

A tantalizing smell invaded his nose, reminding him of the musk of summer nights and the darkness of a false dawn before the sun touched the world. He breathed it in deeply with every breath, slowly letting the scent soak into his being.

Starting, he shook himself out of his obviously foolish daydream and let his ever-present scowl steal its way back over his darkly handsome face. Looking around, he noticed the book, discarded carelessly in the tall grass at the base of the tree. With a cry of outrage loud enough to wake the sleeping "Dragon" he lept forward and snatched it up, immediately fawning over the precious item, checking it for any signs of damage or wear.

With a sleepy "Ahhhn…" Hiryuu sat up and swept her hair back over her shoulders, shaking the grass out of it as she did so. Blinking, she looked up to find a livid Luka standing over her, book in hand. She grinned cattily. This was so much fun. "Why hello Mr. Reinhardt," she said amiably.

Grinding his teeth so hard that Hiryuu thought they would surely turn to dust, Luka managed to spill out, "I'm…going…to…kill you!" His aura flared and Hiryuu laughed, leaping lithely to her feet.

"Catch me if you can!" she hooted and dissipated into thin air.

Aura fading, Luka heaved an angry sigh and threw the book fiercely down onto the ground. "I hate it when she does that," he muttered, running one hand agitatedly through his hair. "I hate it."

  


* * *

[1] _Hiryuu_- "Dragon" in Japanese.


	3. Part III

Made For Each Other

~*~

That night found a sulking Luka flipping through the pages of his still unfinished book while not really seeing them. Words and paragraphs swam before his eyes, blurring into an undecipherable mass and causing the pounding behind his eyes to intensify to a throbbing that matched his heartbeat. Feeling more then slightly nauseated, he shut the book and weakly tossed it in the general direction of his bedside table. A soft thump alerted him to the fact that he had missed.

With a groan, he flopped back onto his pillows, a rising heat now engulfing his aching head. At least his stomach wasn't churning anymore. Or maybe…

With a strangled exclamation of surprise, he sat up and threw himself off the bed, towards his bedroom door, while his stomach roiled dangerously. Flinging open the door, he almost ran into a very startled Hiryuu, her hand raised as if she had been about to knock. Without so much as a backward glance, he pushed past her and tore off down the hall towards the bathroom. Hiryuu followed in hot pursuit and arrived just in time to have the door slammed loudly in her face. A disgusting heaving noise ensued, followed by the sound of something splashing into the toilet.

Wincing, she ran off down the hall once more, this time headed towards the kitchen where she grabbed a few towels, dampened them with water and ran back towards the bathroom. The confused stares of Nell, Luel, and Madame Batolli trailed her retreating form.

Knocking only a little before bursting in, Hiryuu quickly took in the scene before her. A very pale sweating Luka was crouched over the toilet, his arms shaking dangerously and his upper body unclothed. A quick glance confirmed Hiryuu's hunch and she promptly flushed the toilet, kneeling down beside the sickened wizard. The look he gave her only held a small fraction of the hatred it normally did, and the blonde-haired girl took this as a bad sign.

She laid one of the damp towels across the back of his neck and when he feebly tried to push her away, she slapped his hand gently. "I'm just trying to help you, baka! So calm down for just a minute, ok?" He complied without putting up any resistance; another sign of just how bad he was feeling.

With a sigh, Hiryuu took the other towel and gently began sponging the pale face suspended over the porcelain bowl, only to have her hand once more pushed away as he heaved again. Making soothing shushing noises, Hiryuu gently massaged Luka's back until the heaves stopped. "I think…I think I'm done now," he admitted weakly, almost collapsing forward into his recently regurgitated food. With a stifled cry, Hiryuu caught the trembling form of the 21st century's greatest wizard and flushed the toilet once more.

She stood up slowly, still sponging his face and without hesitation slipped an arm around his waist. "Come on Luka," she said. "Let's get you back to bed."

Nodding weakly, he gingerly put an arm around her shoulders and let her support him down the hall to his room. Luel stood at the other end of the hall, worry written all over his face as he saw his brother and Hiryuu emerge from the bathroom. He turned and quietly went back into the kitchen, hiding his worry from the two women still seated there.

But apparently he had not hid it fast enough. "What's wrong Luel?" Nell asked, her voice shaking slightly.

He shook his head. "Nothing, Luka's just sick, that's all."

Madame Batolli rose quickly, almost knocking her chair over. "Well then, why didn't you go see if he needed anything?! If he's sick…" But her way was blocked by one lean arm from Luel.

His eyes sparkled with something, some emotion even the witch couldn't make out. "I think Hiryuu has things under control," he said, smugness tinting his voice below the concern.

With a knowing smirk, Madame Batolli sat back down and continued eating her dinner, much to Nell's surprise. "Hiryuu?!" she shrieked.

But nods and smiles were all she got from the two adults; so with a slightly put-out air, Nell finished her dinner in silence, wondering all the while what everyone was hiding from her.

~*~

Luka surprised himself almost as much as he surprised Hiryuu, by letting the slender magic-wielder guide him to bed and continue to wipe his face with a damp towel. Muttering something unintelligible, he tried for the third time to push her away and once more he was firmly deterred.

Looking down at him with a mild rebuking gaze, Hiryuu said, "Stay here," and left the room. Folding his hands over his still aching stomach, Luka rolled over onto his side and curled into a ball. What was he doing?! Letting this, this girl, see him like this. He was Luka Guillaume Reinhardt for crying out loud! Not some sniveling weakling. But his own body betrayed him as he tried to rise and almost fell face first onto the floor.

Perfect timing, as it was at that moment that Hiryuu reentered the room, carrying an armful of objects intended for the wizard. "What did I tell you?!" she cried, dropping all her things and rushing forward to lay him back down upon the bed once more.

With another chastising glare, she stooped down and began gathering all the things she had dropped, failing to notice Luka's eyes following her form.

His amber eyes watched her through hooded lids, sliding easily over her frame as water would over smooth stones. They lingered slightly longer on her chest and lower back; it was becoming more and more apparent to the wizard that Hiryuu was not just some young girl from off the streets. But his gaze quickly snapped back to the dim ceiling above as she rose and walked over to his bedside, dumping her things on the bedside table.

Humming softly, she whipped out a thermometer and as Luka opened his mouth to protest, she quickly stuck it in. Realizing what a dumb move that had been, the young man felt his cheeks flush in discomfiture. But Hiryuu, if she noticed, paid it no attention and was soon pouring something into a glass. Glancing over and finding Luka's gaze glued to it with a wary look in his eyes, she laughed and said, "Don't ask what it is, you're better off not knowing. Just drink it and you'll feel better."

And she handed him the glass, taking the thermometer out of his mouth as she did so. Reading the digital display and finding his body heat way above normal, she shook her head and set the little probe down. Luka had already downed the liquid, she could tell by the way his face was twisted in a fierce grimace. Smiling again, she took the empty glass from his still slightly trembling hand and set it down next to the thermometer.

Luka's other hand was still clamped tightly over his stomach and Hiryuu noted that his knuckles were white with strain. Tutting, quietly, she pried his hand off and smacked away his other hand for the forth time in ten minutes. "Please Luka!" she exclaimed, exasperation finally making its way into her voice. With a tired sigh, he relaxed a little as he felt the first swoop of her warm hand across his cramping stomach muscles.

Her other hand soon joined the first and she started humming again, all the while massaging the tight muscles beneath her sure fingers. With a soft groan, Luka relaxed even more, sinking back into his pillows and letting Hiryuu's obviously experienced hands rove all over his lower torso. He could feel the gentle heat radiating off of them, sinking into his spasming muscles and calming them more then any medication ever could.

The violet-eye girl felt the calming also, but the hardness beneath her fingertips did not cease. With a start she realized that his abs were naturally this toned. Her cheeks going slightly pink, she continued without faltering, glad for the dim light to hide her flush. He really was good-looking, she admitted to herself. Shoulder-length dark hair fanned out on the pillow around his noble face, and unfocused amber eyes looked at the ceiling while she reached up to brush a stray lock of hair off his face, noticing the small scar on his forehead as she did so.

He seemed to come back slowly, turning to look at her as if moving through gelatin. His gaze met hers and he said something. Shaking her head slightly, she leaned in and answered, "What?"

"Don't…go…" he whispered again, cheeks flushing red. Whether it was from the fever or from something else, Hiryuu never did know.

"Um…ok," she answered uncertainly, her hands almost wavering on his abdomen.

With a relived moan, he closed his eyes and soon she noticed his chest rising and falling evenly. Sitting back, she rubbed her own tired eyes with aching hands and jumped about a foot in the air when another hand slipped into hers with a firm grasp.

Luka, still sleeping, pulled her hand back down to the bed, and refused to let go, no matter how hard Hiryuu tugged. His face was relaxed and open in his sleep, revealing an almost child-like anxiety that pulled at the girl's heartstrings. He was lonely, even she could see that.

So with a tender chuckle, she resettled her slim frame more comfortably into the chair at his bedside and prepared for a long night without much sleep.

It was nothing new to her.


	4. Part IV

Made For Each Other

~*~

The morning light slanted through the half-open blinds, dust motes glittering and swirling in its wake. The golden beams lit up the faces of the two sleeping people, making their skin glow with an impossible gleam. Their chests rose and fell in unison, breaths leaving their mouths at the exact same time and reentering again together. A pair of intertwined hands lay on the pillow beside the man's head in sharp contrast to his black hair, and a mass of golden tangles lay across his muscled chest, shining in the new light like fire.

The girl stirred slightly as the rays of light tickled her eyes open; she sat up, stifling a yawn so as not to wake the other sleeper. But she was too late. His eyes fluttered open and he stared up at her with clear eyes. "_I'll be damned if he wasn't awake way before me!_" Hiryuu thought, slightly annoyed.

But even as their eyes met, amber and violet, the wizard seemed to notice what it was his hand was grasping. Tearing his eyes away he gave his hand a startled look, then let go quickly and retracted his hand. Hiryuu pulled hers back just as quickly and the two magic users sat there and stared at each other for many long moments.

The staring contest was only broken by the entrance of Luel, upon noticing what was going on, tried to hide a tiny smile. Hiryuu stood up and nodded to the alchemist, saying, "I think your brother will be fine now, Luel." Then she left the room.

Luka glared after her retreating form, then as soon as she was out of sight, let the gaze melt away. Once more, Luel had to hide a snicker as he took her recently vacated seat by the edge of the bed. Luka didn't seem to notice him right away, he was staring at the ceiling as if lost in a waking dream. Luel finally had to clear his throat and speak, rather loudly. "Luka!"

With a start, the older of the two brothers looked over to find his brother snickering and trying in vain to hide it. "What?" he asked crossly, reaching for the package of cigarettes he normally kept on his bedside table. His hand scrabbled around for a few seconds, not finding the square package of cigs or the metallic lighter that went along with them. Pulling himself to a sitting position and looking around frantically, it finally clicked in his mind. "Hiryuu!!!" he shouted and lept out of bed, tearing off down the hallway as if he had never been sick in his life.

Luel sighed and left the room also, putting on his coat and deciding that now was as good a time as any to head to the store. Walking to the front door, he decided to leave his jacket where it was hanging in the closet and headed around back to say goodbye to Nell.

His lover was dousing the garden with water, the hose snaked its way across the yard like an over grown snake and Luel found himself almost tripping on it. Nell giggled as he came over and gave her a kiss saying, "I'm off to the store now. Come by a little after noon and we'll get lunch, ok?"

With a huge grin she hugged him hard and as he turned and was about to head off, he noticed Hiryuu being screamed at by a very irate Luka. Obviously she had confiscated his supply of cigarettes, and the addicted wizard was none too happy about it.

Sighing, he shook his head and muttered a curse upon them both under his breath. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," commented Madame Batolli, coming up behind him.

"And for heaven's sake, why not?" Luel asked, slightly exasperated with his brother's behavior.

The older witch smiled. "Well, isn't it obvious? They're made for each other."

Her audiences' jaws dropped. Luka and Hiryuu? Made for each other?! She must be crazy!

Madame Batolli shook her head. "No, I'm not crazy. Those two were made for each other. They just don't know it yet. The only reason they fight so much is because they are so alike, because they think the same and act the same. They're two peas in a pod, those two. Just you wait and see," she finished and walked off with a small smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

Nell was the first to recover from the shock. "But…" she managed to squeak.

Luel shook his head and cleared his throat. "She means well," he said. "But I just don't see it happening. The way those two fight, the world will be in ruins before they ever admit to feeling anything other than revulsion for the other." With a small wave to Nell, the younger of the Reinhardt brothers finally began his trip to the store.

The foremost thought in his mind was that, when he came home, he hoped to find the house still standing.

~*~

Stretching like a cat, Hiryuu rose from her seat underneath the tall oak tree. She yawned widely and pocked the wrappers from her lunch. The sun shone down brightly, the exact opposite of the downpour only two nights ago. She swung her arms in the air, loosening her shoulders and cracking her neck. Taking a deep breath, she calmed and focused her energy inward, searching for the calm void that always revolved around her magical force.

Opening her eyes and stretching out her hand she whispered the spell under her breath and watched as a crackling, spitting fireball sprang to life in her hand. She could feel the heat radiating off of it as it floated, suspended in the air half an inch above her palm. A satisfied smirk crossed her face; this was the spell Luka had obviously been slavering over to perfect. And she had gotten it on her first try, after only seeing and hearing him do it once. And they called him the 21st century's greatest wizard.

With a snort, she let the fireball die and raised both her hands in the air in front of her, palms facing outward. Taking another deep breath to utter the incantation, she stopped abruptly when Luka's head appeared, topping the rise in front of her.

Letting her hands fall back to her sides, she crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side, staring at him with a quizzical look on her face.

Luka looked livid once more. Sighing, she made a "_Tsk-tsk_" noise at him and shook her head slightly, her pale golden hair swinging back and forth in its ponytail. "You really should learn to control that temper of yours," she stated, her voice tinged with mock concern. "You don't want to burst a blood vessel or anything."

With a snarl, Luka ignored her sardonic comment and continued advancing towards her, the sunlight glinting off his various chains and buckles. "Where did you learn that?" he growled, his voice low and gravely.

Hiryuu widened her eyes in fake innocence. "What on earth do you mean Luka? That little old spell?" She couldn't stop the leer that now spread across her face. "I saw you perform it yesterday, and even though it was somewhat less then perfect, I managed to pick up on it and perfected it myself." With a snicker, she muttered the incantation once more and was soon twirling another heated fireball in her slender fingers.

With a cry of outrage, Luka took several steps forwards before visibly regaining his control. With a tight smile, he spun on one pointed black heel and walked back across the yard and into the house.

"He's so sexy when he's mad," Hiryuu sighed.

~*~

Nell, having watched the entire exchange under the tree, now leaned against the fence, hose forgotten in her grasp. Could it be that her mother was right? Hiryuu and Luka _did_ seem to fight a lot, but then again…even she could not miss how much alike they really were.

With a thoughtful gaze, she stared at the hose for many lengthy moments before realizing that the dirt at her feet had been transformed into a lovely puddle of mud. With an exclamation of disgust, she quickly turned the water off and flung the hose down.

Seconds later she strolled out of the garden, all traces of thoughts of Hiryuu and Luka gone. She was going to go meet Luel for lunch, and nothing was going to ruin her date. She would worry about the two wizards later.

~*~

Still fuming over the fireball incantation, Luka furiously tried for what must have been the hundredth time that afternoon and failed, the tiny flame in his hand dying after only a few seconds. With a growl, he wiped the sweat from his brow, fingers lingering over the short scar across his otherwise unmarred skin, and remembering the wizard that had given it to him.

Fuan.

Even Fuan was not as irritating as Hiryuu. He snorted. If someone had told him a week ago that there was another person more irritating then the robed, evil mage, he would have laughed in their face, scorning them. But now, he ground his teeth even thinking about the female "dragon".

He snorted once more. What kind of name was Hiryuu anyway? She was obviously _not_ Japanese, her blonde hair and purple eyes were a dead giveaway. So what was she hiding? Why did she not wish them to know her real name? It was obvious that Luka, Luel, and the Batolli's meant her no harm, so why did she still wish to hide her true identity?

She must have some dark secret, he decided; something that would unmask her before everyone.

With a moan, he rubbed his temples and closed his eyes tightly against the throbbing in his head. Not another headache. Deciding that enough was enough, he left his lab and staggered upstairs in search of something for the pain in his skull.

He didn't notice the slender form that detached itself from the shadows at the base of the steps leading down into his lab. Luminous amethyst eyes watched him go, flooded with concern as the obviously still sick man wobbled his way upstairs. A small noise of concern left her mouth as she flitted up the steps after him, being careful to remain out of sight.


	5. Part V

Made For Each Other

~*~

"Damn!" A muttered curse soon turned into a shouted one as the wizard searched the house frantically. "DAMN!"

His cigarettes were gone, and he knew who the culprit had to be. "Hiryuu, you little bitch!" he shouted, turning around to go search for the mysterious girl and finding her right behind him, leaning against the wall casually. Absolutely irate, he snarled, "Where the hell are they?!"

"Such a temper," she replied nonchalantly. "And such a foul mouth. You should really learn to control that tongue of yours Luka." She took a step away from the wall and dangled a pack of cigarettes in front of his face. "Is this what you're looking for?"

"Yes!" he roared, trying to snatch the small, square package out of her hand.

But quick reflexes and deft fingers left him grasping at empty air. "These things are terrible for your health, they're going to kill you one day." Her voice was flat and she turned the pack upside down and shook it; nothing came out. It was empty.

With an enraged howl, Luka finally managed to grab the cig-less package from her hands. Ripping it to shreds, he glared daggers at her, his eyes burning. "Just _who_ do you think you _are_?" he asked her, voice steely and quiet.

Unaffected, she answered back, "I am the golden dragon." And with that, she disappeared into thin air as she had done so many times before.

Howling again, Luka furiously threw the paper scraps at the space where she had been standing moments before. Amid the maelstrom of paper, he caught sight of Neo standing in the doorway, trembling, his eyes wide and fearful. With a tired sigh, the 21st century's greatest wizard shook his head and said in a soft voice, "It's alright Neo, you can come here."

Neo took a tremulous step forward and said in a tiny voice, "M-master…I just wanted to know where you had put _A Beginner's Guide to Beginner's Incantations_. I can't seem to find it anywhere." The young apprentice's voice calmed as he spoke, and soon was back to normal.

"Look in my lab, on the right side of my workbench, I seem to remember you leaving it there yesterday."

"Thank you." Neo left the room quickly; glad he had not been the object of his master's rage. Luka was not known for his friendliness, or willingness to accept pupils, so he must tread carefully if he ever wished to learn the art of magic.

Watching his trainee's form leave, the dark-haired man slumped to the floor, his back against the wall. This was all becoming too weird for his taste; everything was changing around here, and he didn't know if he liked it. First Hiryuu showed up, then he had gotten sick (he almost never got sick), now he had all these confusing emotions chasing themselves around inside of him. What was going on?

Heaving a gigantic sigh, he leaned his head back against the cool surface of the wallpaper and soon fell asleep, his sculpted chest rising and falling evenly. If he thought things were getting strange now, he was in for a huge surprise when he awoke later that afternoon.

~*~

"Luka! Luka!…LUKA!"

With a start, he awoke to violent shaking and someone shouting his name. Glancing upwards and recognizing the face to be Nell's, he slumped back against the wall once more and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What the hell was that for?"

The afternoon sunlight slanted in through the windows, splashing the carpet with gold and giving everything in the room a golden glow. Luka saw that Luel, Madame Batolli, Neo, and Hiryuu were also present in the room; all but Luel looked slightly mystified. Hiryuu stood there with her usual easy grace, but there was a note of uncertainty, a curious feel in her aura that Luka did not fail to miss.

Nell's cheeks tinged with pink. "Well…urm…Luel and I well…"

"Yes," Madame Batolli interjected. "Why _are_ we here, Nell?"

Four pairs of eyes stared at the two as Nell took a few steps back into Luel's embrace. "Well," the young alchemist started. "Me and Nell…that is to say- Well…we're…we're _engaged._"

Stunned silence filled the room before the other two women lept forward, identical squeals leaving their mouths simultaneously. Neo just stood there, smiling at Luel, as Luka remained where he was on the floor, mouth hanging open in surprise. He vaguely registered all three women locked in a tight hug before Luel's anxious face filled his vision. "Luka?" he asked softly, crouching down in front of his brother.

"What?" came the reply, sullen and annoyed.

"I-is something wrong? I mean, are you okay with this? Because-"

But he was cut off. "It's fine. You and Nell will be happy together, I can see it. Congratulations and good luck." He clapped his brother on the shoulder and rose from his former sitting position. As he stood, he caught Hiryuu's eye as she glanced over his way. Their gazes locked for a moment and Luka found himself almost drowning in her violet depths.

But their eye-lock was broken by an excited question from Nell as Hiryuu's attention was diverted back to the situation at hand.

Nostrils flaring as he breathed sharply out his nose, Luka swept out of the room, fully intending on heading down to the drugstore to buy more cigarettes.

Luel watched him go peculiarly; he could have sworn he almost saw sparks fly when his brother and the female wizard had locked gazes. There had been something in their looks, something beyond words that said more then language could ever hope to express.

His train of thought was interrupted by Nell throwing herself into his arms and tightening her own about his neck. "Did you hear that Luel?! Mom and Hiryuu are going to take me shopping for a wedding dress tomorrow!"

The excitement in her voice drove away all but the last traces of thought about the two magic-users. He smiled at his future bride and kissed her nose. "That sounds wonderful, darling." With another squeal, she hugged him once more then pulled him to his feet. Luel also caught Hiryuu's gaze as he rose and his look was hard and questioning. Eyes flashing, Hiryuu glared at him and turned away.

But Luel had caught the faint glimmer in her eye right before she had turned, and he smirked knowingly. Things were going to be different around here from now on, even more so then before.


	6. Part VI

Made For Each Other

~*~

The wind rippled the black curtain of his hair across his face, causing it to get caught in his long eyelashes and yanking a low growl from the back of his throat. Annoyed, Luka pushed the silky strands away from his face and pulled a tie out of his pocket, yanking the offending hair out of the way for good.

Inhaling deeply, he filled his lungs with smoke and a wave of relief flooded over him; no one was going to get between him and his cigarettes. Especially not annoying little bitches like Hiryuu. Smiling smugly to himself, he meandered slowly on back to the house, taking his time and not caring that night was slowly falling and that the day's warmth was slowly fading.

Now that he was away from the house, he had let go of all his problems, all his worries. Hiryuu, Nell, Luel, and everything else got pushed to the back of his mind, where it was promptly forgotten. Out here, he wasn't a part of that life; he was merely a spectator, on the outside, looking in.

Taking one last drag, he dropped the smoke and ground the life out of it beneath one sharp-booted heel. Deciding rather regretfully to hurry a little more and reach his house before night fell completely, he carefully concealed the rest of the nicotine sticks in his overcoat; if Hiryuu found these, they would be gone before he could ever begin to cuss her out. Damn her! Just who did she think she was?! Showing up at his house one night, taking over his life, and trying to run it along with her own! He didn't even know who this girl really was!

His brow creased and a stormy light kindled in the golden depths of his eyes. If she ever tried to interfere with his life again, so help her God, because he would not hold back next time! The 21st century's greatest wizard had had enough. It was the last straw, the one that broke the camel's back. The volcano was smoking and it would take only the tiniest spark to set it off.

~*~

Letting out a rather loud yawn and stretching like a cat, Hiryuu pulled herself off the couch and headed down the hall to her room just in time to run into the still simmering Luka. One glance that took in his brooding glare and creased forehead and she veered slightly to the side, making sure she stayed well out of his way.

Luka watched her out of the corner of his eye and sneered inwardly. "_That's it, little girl. Learn your place!_"

As soon as she disappeared into her room, he let the sneer take physical form on his lips and ducked into his own, tossing the cigarette package onto his bedside table. There was little chance the "Golden Dragon" would be coming into his room again, so he figured it was safe to leave them out.

There was another mystery that he had yet to figure out: what was all this gibberish about a golden dragon? He supposed it could be some sort of wizard or witch's title, but then, wouldn't he already know about it? Gold was supposed to signify a master level of accomplishment, but what did the dragon part mean?

Growling in frustration, he flicked the light off and flopped into bed, sleep claiming him almost instantly. As he slept, his dreams were plagued with images of golden dragons in wedding dresses and packages of cigarettes. He tossed and turned fitfully.

~*~

"Well how about this one?"

"Too expensive, dear, pick another one."

A frustrated growl. "Mother! You've said that about almost every dress we've looked at so far! We're not getting anywhere!" Nell whirled around impatiently to face her unruffled mother and shot the older woman her best glare.

"I like this one," the third member of their party interjected, before things escalated into the third world war. "It's not too bad, is it Madame Batolli? And I could make up the extra if you have a certain price limit."

Nell's eyes sparkled as she ran over and her mother answered kindly, "Thank you Hiryuu, dear, but that won't be necessary. I think this one will do fine." The witch's eyes crinkled up in a smile as her daughter and the wizard fawned over the lacy white dress. "Find someone and try it on Nell."

As Nell ran off, Madame Batolli caught Hiryuu fingering the dress gingerly between thumb and forefinger, a wistful look in her violet eyes. Smiling again, she slipped an arm around the girl's slender shoulders. "You'll get to wear one someday, you know. Your time will come."

Hiryuu jumped slightly at the unexpected reassurance. "Well . . . that is . . . if I manage to find someone who will have me," she answered, her voice threaded with uncertainty. "Most men do not appreciate the fact that I am a wizard. The only ones that truly understand are other wizards, and they get fed up with my power very quickly, you see." She turned away quickly to hide the tears that were stinging the corners of her eyes.

The taller woman's eyes shone with sympathy that was quickly masked; the girl did not need a pity party! All she needed was a little . . . push in the right direction.

Smirking slightly Madame Batolli answered, "Well, you might not be looking hard enough. It seems to me that a perfect match is sitting right under your nose . . ."

But before the Golden Dragon could inquire as to what Nell's mother meant, Nell returned and soon all was forgotten as the dress was presented before them.

An hour or so later, the three women laughed and chatted as they finished their lunch underneath the warm sunshine. The dress needed a few more minor adjustments, and would be delivered to their house within the next few days.

Nell practically shone with joy and although Hiryuu was happy for her friend, Madame Batolli could see the lonely longing in her eyes whenever she looked at her love-struck daughter. Sighing inwardly, the older woman resolved to do whatever it took to see that Hiryuu and Luka got together. It was obvious that they were perfect for each other; they just didn't know it yet.

Catching the witch's unfocused stare, Hiryuu shot her a confused look and then jumped a little as a waiter lay the bill at her elbow. Paying the bill and ignoring the protests of the two others with her, Hiryuu stood up and grinned.  "Ready to go?"

The entire way home, Nell chattered about Luel and Hiryuu found the words washing over her in a wave, not really sinking in. She let her mind wander guiltily and found that her thoughts turned to none other then the moody Luka. "_I wonder what Luka's doing now,_" she thought, only to be interrupted by a hand waved rudely in front of her eyes.

"Hello! Earth to Hiryuu!" Nell called, retracting her hand.

"Huh, oh! Sorry Nell" Hiryuu smiled sheepishly. "You needed something?"

"Yes, I just wanted to let you know that if Luka proposes to you anytime within the near future, you can have a double wedding with me and Luel!" The eighteen-year-old smiled.

The wizard felt her cheeks heat up and she averted her eyes. "Uh . . ."

"Nell!" Madame Batolli exclaimed, kicking her loud-mouthed daughter in the shin. Ignoring the girl's cry of pain, she said hastily, "Don't worry about what Nell said, dear. You just forget all about it. I don't know _what_ came over her!" A deadly glare was shot at the offending party.

Sullenly, Nell muttered something along the lines of, "_I didn't mean anything by it, mother,_" and was silent for the rest of the walk home.

When they reached the house, Hiryuu disappeared into her room without saying much and locked the door behind her. Throwing herself onto her bed, she buried her face in her pillow and let loose the flood of tears she had fought to hold back all the way home.


	7. Part VII

Made For Each Other

~*~

A quiet tapping on her door awoke her hours later and she rolled over stiffly, calling out in a voice that trembled slightly, "Come in."

Neo pushed open the door slowly, poking his head in and giving her a hesitant look. "Hello, Neo," Hiryuu said, sitting up.

"Can I . . . can I talk to you?" the young apprentice asked.

"Well, sure!" she answered, more then a little puzzled. "You can come on in, you know." She flashed him a reassuring smile as he shut the door quietly behind him and sat next to her on the bed.

It was several minutes before he spoke again, and Hiryuu waited patiently, deciding that anything this hard to say was worth the wait. "About Master Luka . . ." he finally began.

Her curiosity aroused even more now, Hiryuu prompted the younger boy gently. "Yes?"

"He- That is, well . . . I guess sometimes he can seem a little . . ."

Smiling sardonically Hiryuu finished, "Assine."

Wincing slightly Neo agreed with an almost imperceptible nod of his head. "But he really isn't all that bad, once you get to know him. He's not really this cold, he just doesn't trust people easily." He refused to meet the young wizard's eyes and Hiryuu's grin turned to one of unexplainable affection.

Ruffling his hair she answered, "Well then, I guess Mr. Reinhardt and I are more alike then I thought."

Neo did look at her after that comment and there was a mysterious light in his eyes. "The two of you are a lot alike, more then you think anyway."

Caught slightly off guard, the Golden Dragon shot him a weird look. "What?"

But the boy stood up and walked to the door, mysteriousness now penetrating his aura and wrapping him in a shroud of obscurity. "I think maybe you should try to understand him better. Maybe then-" But he stopped himself abruptly and stepped out of the room, pulling the door shut with a sharp click.

Mouth agape, Hiryuu continued to sit on the edge of her bed and stare at the door. Things were getting very confusing around here as of late, and no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't figure out what to make of things.

The darkening day was dying slowly outside her window and yet she still made no move to turn the lights on, just sat on her bed, thoughts whirling confusedly around inside her head. Swirling and dancing in a fog on confusion, they tickled her brain and befuddled her senses even more, until she could have sworn that down was up and up was down.

Feeling the beginnings of a pounding headache, she finally stood up and went to find some medicine, while the earth spun dizzyingly beneath her feet. Putting one hand on the wall for support, she staggered into the bathroom and downed a few Aspirin, swallowing them without water.

"Well _that_ was disgusting."

Whipping around, Hiryuu had just enough time to catch a glimpse of Luka leaning in the doorway when her feet almost gave way and her head spun in circles. Groaning, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, opening them only when the world slowed to a stop. "What do you want?" she growled, shoving past him and making sure she "accidentally" stepped on his foot as she went by. "You can use the bathroom now, if that's what you were waiting for."

But much to Hiryuu's annoyance, Luka followed her back down the hall to her room. "No, I just saw you in there looking like shit and I wondered if something was wrong."

With a wry grimace Hiryuu answered, "Do I really look that bad?"

He jerked a thumb towards her mirror. "See for yourself." Plopping down in a chair he watched as she looked herself over and gave another soft groan.

Red, puffy eyes stared back at her from underneath sweaty bangs and mascara was streaked in small stripes underneath them. Her cheeks were bright pink and there was a thinness about her mouth, a tightness about her jaw as she clenched her teeth, trying to get the floor to stop rocking beneath her. "Yeah, not exactly beauty queen material." She sat back down on her bed and put her aching head into long-nailed hands. "But why would you care?"

Silence met her ears and after a long minute she looked up to find Luka's golden eyes staring at her, all coldness and hatred gone from their intense depths. For some unexplainable reason her heart sped up and her stomach twisted itself into a knot; those eyes were pulling her in, sucking the very soul from her body and the scary thing was: she didn't want them to stop.

Luka sighed inwardly as those scorching violet irises met his and he saw the life and the beauty that glowed in their inner depths. Despite the redness and puffiness, he was still enchanted by them and with every passing moment found it harder and harder to tear himself away. Without knowing why, Luka felt himself standing up and walked over towards the girl sitting on the bed. His steps were soft on the thick carpet and for some inexplicable reason, he was glad of that. She almost reminded him of a wild bird, elegant and beautiful and poised for flight.

Sitting down next to her, Luke reached out his hand and brushed the limp bangs off her forehead. He could see her chest rising and falling more and more rapidly as each moment passed, and he knew his own breathing was irregular as well. Her eyes shimmered with something he couldn't quite catch, some hidden emotion that was just beginning to show itself in the depthless pools.

The door to her room banged open and Hiryuu gasped loudly, springing back about three feet from the wizard next to her. Nell stood in the doorway smirking, her arms crossed over her chest. "Oh _there_ you are, Luka. Luel's been looking _all over_ for you."

Clearing his throat loudly, the 21st century's greatest wizard stood up, plastering his typical scowl back on his face where it belonged. Brushing past his brother's smug fiancée, he did not look back once. Trying to slow her rapid breathing, Hiryuu dropped her head to her chest and blinked several times, trying to clear the image of those golden orbs from her vision.

Nell crossed the room and stood above her, doing her best to wipe the smugness from her face and failing miserably. Finally she said, "Mother wanted me to come and ask if you wanted anything for dinner."

The moonlight flowed in fluidly through her window, painting a silver patch on her carpet and giving the room an ethereal glow; Hiryuu's hair looked as if it were cast in silver and her eyes gleamed as she looked up at the other girl. "No thank you," she said, her voice chill and distant.

Nell's own eyes widened in surprise, but before she could say anything, Hiryuu lay back on her bed and rolled over, facing away from her. Backing away slowly, Nell shut the door silently, tearing off down the hall in search of her mother the moment she felt the knob click. What was going on?! Why had Luka been in Hiryuu's room?!

Things were getting interesting around here, and Nell wanted to be at the very center of everything once all revealed itself. Smugness once more painting her face, she ran off towards the kitchen, planning to reveal all to the older witch. But before she could get there, she was stopped by a livid Luka who crossed his arms and glared fiercely down at her.

"Um . . . hi Luka," she said, voice wavering slightly, afraid of what he might do.

But he merely growled and stalked by her, slamming the door to his room.

Confused, the girl stared after him, biting her lip in frustration. What was going on?!


	8. Part VIII

Made For Each Other

~*~

Luka awoke the next day to a dawn that was chill and gray. Perfect. Glowering fiercely he kicked open the door to his room and wandered aimlessly down to his lab. The weather mirrored his mood perfectly, for soon after that rain began pelting the house. His face becoming even stormier with the knowledge of the weather, he stalked around the lab, muttering bits and pieces of incantations and watching lights and sparks dance in the air before him.

Finally settling down somewhat, he caressed the spines of his spellbooks as he walked along the length of the bookshelf; not quite sure of what he was looking for, he continued his half-hearted search and finally pulled one off the shelf. The book that Hiryuu had taken earlier was now in his hand, and he sighed and flipped open to the page with the fireball spell. Muttering to himself once more, he held one hand out and was surprised to find a fire kindling the moment he said the words.

Smirking, he tossed the book down and held out his other hand, chanting the incantation once more. An identical fireball sprang to life in this hand as well and he stood there smirking widely, a satisfied light in his golden eyes. The reflection from the flames seemed to set them aglow and drew out an inner passion that could only be seen in the wizard when he was performing spells and using magic.

Happy that he could match her at least in this, Luka stretched and headed back upstairs, planning on grabbing some breakfast, then maybe a smoke and heading downtown for some shopping. The breakfast part went all right, and even the money-finding part for shopping worked out, he had enough for a decent spree, he decided. But when it came to the smoking part, things went horribly wrong. His cigarettes were gone once again. His eyes flared up and his entire body went tense. Furious, he tore off down the hall screaming, "Hiryuu!" as he went.

Finding the girl in the kitchen, calmly making herself breakfast, he stormed over and grabbed her shoulder, roughly spinning her around to face him. "You did it again!" he shouted at her, watching her face go from surprise to amused annoyance. "Why the hell do you keep taking my cigarettes?!"

"I _told_ you, Luka! They're horrible for you, you'll end up dead someday because of them!" She turned back to her cooking.

"Oh, really?!" he questioned, voice lowering in volume somewhat. "And what makes you care so much about my health all of a sudden?"

Shaking her head, she muttered something and threw a dash of salt into her eggs. Growling when he found his question so obviously ignored, Luka whirled away from her and slammed the front door on his way out, missing the sad smile on Hiryuu's face as he left.

And as the door banged shut behind the older man, Neo's words ran through the young girl's mind. "_He's not really this cold, he just doesn't trust people easily . . . The two of you are a lot alike, more then you think anyway . . ._" Snorting at that, she grew thoughtful as one last fragment of her talk with the young apprentice flew through her mind. "_Maybe you should try to understand him better . . ._"

Her stomach flipped over at that. "_ . . . are a lot more alike . . ._" Biting her lip, she glanced in the direction of the front door, then hardened her face. There was nothing to understand. Nothing more to it, except for the fact that he was a stubborn S.O.B. Resolving to not let what others said get to her, she sat down and coolly ate her breakfast, wondering what she would do today.

~*~

Still livid, Luka drove his car towards the shops downtown with a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. He had turned the radio off in favor of listening to the rain drumming on his car and his mind calmed somewhat as the soothing sound echoed in his ears.

For some reason, he found his anger fading slightly. "_You'll end up dead someday because of them!_" Hiryuu's words drowned out the sound of rain for a moment and Luka found himself almost smiling at the thought. Maybe . . . just maybe . . . she really _did_ care.

Jerking himself out of that dangerous train of thought, the wizard glared even harder at the road unfolding in front of him and moodily tossed a strand of hair over his shoulder. What the hell was he thinking?! Letting a girl like that get to him! She really pissed him off sometimes, trying to run his life like that. Next thing he knew, she would be trying to hold his hand when he crossed the street.

Snorting, he pushed a button grimaced when the blaring music obscured the rain. Stupid girl, she would pay for what she had done. No one annoyed the great Luka Guillaume Reinhardt and got away unscathed. This was the final blow for him, and he was prepared to wage war.

Skidding into the parking lot with an obnoxious squealing of tires, the 21st century's greatest wizard dashed through the falling water as quickly as he could and entered the warm atmosphere of the store. Resolving to forget all about the other wizard for the duration of his expedition, he shoved all thoughts relating to her out of his head. Nothing would spoil his morning any further. Not even the "Golden Dragon".

~*~

Wandering from room to room with a dust rag in one hand and a vacuum cleaner in the other, Hiryuu made sure each room was sparkling clean before she left it again.

After breakfast this morning, she had decided that, having nothing better to do, she would help to pay her way by cleaning the house. It was now several hours later, and the young magic user was beginning to feel the first pangs of hunger. Stopping before Luka's room, Hiryuu decided to come back and clean this and the bathroom after she had eaten some lunch.

Leaving her cleaning items in the hall outside the other's room, she went back into the kitchen and was soon busy with making a sandwich. Hearing the front door open and close, she looked up and saw a bag-laden Luka coming in. "Did you have fun?" she asked dryly, staring pointedly at his many bags.

But the older man ignored her and went down the hall towards his room, not even acknowledging her presence at all. Slightly put out, Hiryuu glared after his retreating form and finished her meal, downing the last of a glass of water. Following the other wizard's steps down the hallway she found his door closed and sighed. Raising her hand to knock, she quickly pulled it back when something akin to an electric shock pulsed through her slender form.

Wincing in pain she called out "Luka! I still need to clean your room. Can I come in?", all the while wondering why he had a magical barrier around his room. "Luka?" she called out again, getting no response.

"Piss off, you little bitch! I don't need you to clean my room or run my life! Why don't you just leave me alone and go back to where the hell ever it is you came from?!" There was a sharper, more biting undercurrent in his voice that the blonde-haired girl had never heard before. It cut deep and she took a step back in surprise.

Anger and hurt swirling inside of her, she choked back a dry sob and shouted, "Fine! You selfish rat bastard!" Spinning on her heel, she went into her own room down the hall and locked the door behind her, unable to stop the flow of tears that ran down her smooth cheeks. Angrily, she wiped them away, only to have them replaced by more.

"_Why should I care what he thinks of me?!_" she thought, trying her best to ignore the stinging pain in her chest. "_He's just an ass anyway!_" But her thoughts weren't convincing, and deep down inside she knew that it would hurt just the same no matter what she said.

Sighing, she sank to the floor slowly, not even bothering to try and wipe her tears anymore. There just wasn't any point. Nothing made sense anymore.

~*~

Down the hall, Luka listened as her footsteps faded and the echoes of her harsh words dissipated in his ears. Hardening himself against the tiny pang of guilt in his gut, he took a long drag on the smoking nicotine stick in his hand and tried to forget the wounded tone of voice that she had used.

"_Golden Dragon, my ass_," he thought and snubbed out the cigarette sharply.


	9. Part IX

Made For Each Other

~*~

"My aren't you looking quite sour this morning."

With a grunt as his answer, Luka opened the fridge and grabbed whatever he saw first, chugging it and tossing the container into the trash. Looking slightly disgusted, Nell asked, "Where's Hiryuu?"

"And how would I know?!" the wizard snapped back.

Taken aback, the younger girl stared at him, slightly afraid and sank back into the warmth of Luel's body as he put his arms around her. "It's okay, Nell," he whispered in her ear. "Luka!" he said, sharply. "What's your problem this morning?"

But Luka merely grunted again and stormed out of the room just as Neo came in. Giving his mentor a cautious glance, Neo sat down at the table and gave the other people in the room a curious look. But, shaking their heads, they said nothing and breakfast continued on in silence.

Once again, the skies outside were a steely gray that threatened rain. With a dull glance, Hiryuu took in the ghastly weather and turned back to her bed. Debating whether or not to go back to sleep, she finally managed to get up somehow and brace herself for the day ahead. Not like there was any point to it, mind you.

Wrapping herself in a silk shawl against the early morning chill, she ambled slowly down the hall, intending to get some coffee or something before she decided what to do with her day. Glancing up, she saw Luka brush past her, and hardened her face, blanking her eyes. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her pain; if he was going to be like this, then she would meet him head on.

Tossing her head, she quickened her pace and pretended she didn't see him, treating him much like the carpet under her feet.

Feeling the gentle caress of her hair and shawl as she brushed by, Luka felt something in his chest give a lurch. Almost reaching out with one hand, his mouth began to form her name, before he realized she had disappeared from the hallway. Scowling, he mentally smacked himself for letting his resolve weaken; he was the great and powerful Luka Guillaume Reinhardt, he did not need anyone! Especially obnoxious women such as Hiryuu.

Muttering under his breath, he continued down on the hall.

Sweeping grandly into the kitchen, Hiryuu let her guard down the moment she felt Luka's eyes leave her back. Sagging slightly with the burden of her emotions, she yawned and blearily poured a mug of coffee for herself. "Something wrong, Hiryuu dear?" Madame Batolli asked, sipping her own coffee and paging gingerly through the newspaper. "You don't look too well."

"I'm fine," Hiryuu murmured, downing the lukewarm liquid in two large gulps. "I just didn't sleep too well last night, that's all." She walked out of the room once more, and left the others staring after her wonderingly.

"Yeesh, what's gotten into _them_ this morning?" Nell pouted, glaring in the direction where the two magic users had disappeared. 

Her mother's gaze, as she looked at the kitchen door, was sharp and questioning. But, to her daughter's surprise, she said nothing and didn't try to stick her nose in their business. She just went back to reading the paper.

Nell and Luel glanced at each other and shrugged. Soon after that, the blonde-haired man kissed his soon-to-be wife goodbye and left for the store. Sighing, Nell slumped back in her chair and stared out the window as the rain began to fall once more.

Sitting in her room, Hiryuu noted the rain also and heaved a sigh that matched Nell's own perfectly. Her chest felt hollow, empty as if something important were missing; it was a struggle just to move, the weight pressing down on her shoulders seemed greater then she could bear. The shawl slipped from her shoulders to hand about her arms, but the young wizard made no move to correct its position.

Sitting down slowly in the window seat, she pressed her forehead to the cool glass and stared listlessly out at the falling drizzle, mind adrift.

"_I don't belong here . . . this is their home, not mine. I don't think the prophecy I was sent here to fulfill will ever come true at this rate. . ._" As these depressing thoughts swirled through her head, pictures of home began to come with them. Green, rolling hills and wide glassy lakes that reflected the shimmering sky above. Dense forests, pierced with sunbeams that glittered with swirling flower petals and dancing birds. The happy laughter of her friends and family as they all gathered together at the day's end.

A lone tear slipped down her cheek, and soon more followed it, mirroring the rain outside. A choked sob escaped her mouth as she realized she had been doing a lot of crying lately. "_Ever since I came here._"

Bringing one hand up, she wiped away the silvery wet trails and blinked several times, trying to clear any lasting tears from her violet depths. Breathing deeply through her nose, she regained her composure and stood up. She let the shawl fall to the window seat; yes, it was time to go home.

Pulling her bag out from its dust-covered home underneath the bed, she began furiously stuffing anything and everything into it, not caring what got wrinkled or crushed.

She was going home.

~*~

"But, Hiryuu!"

The platinum blonde smiled a sad smile at the protesting girl and gave her a fierce hug. "I'll come back for the wedding," she promised. "Just let me know when it is." Nell threw her arms around the wizard and the two hugged one last time.

Moving to Madame Batolli, Hiryuu hugged her also and whispered a thank you for her hospitality. Nell's mother only nodded, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Lastly, she hugged Neo and then Luel, pausing as they gave her identical looks. "This isn't because of-" Neo started.

"I'm leaving because I wish to see my family again, Neo. My purpose here has been fulfilled." With a final wave and a last chorus of good byes, she turned and strode away towards the boarding gate for her flight.

". . . What _was_ her purpose here?" Nell asked a few moments later.

~*~

With an annoyed air, Luka mounted the steps from his lab to the house above, calling out, "Hey Luel! Do we have any more . . ." The dark mage trailed off as he entered the ground floor and found no one around. "Luel? Neo? Madame?! . . . Where the hell did they go?"

With a small shrug, he turned headed back down into his lab, the back of his mind registering the absence of Hiryuu's magical mana, but his brain not comprehending it fully yet. He would only come to realize much later that the female wizard was gone . . . and gone for good.

~*~

The flight was underway and Hiryuu settled back into her seat with a contented sigh. She was going home, Luka was no where close by, and her heartache had dulled to a faint throbbing. Of course, it was still there and that dragged the normally optimistic girl down somewhat, but as of now, the thoughts of home crowded out any others that might filter into her head.

Pulling out a CD player, she slipped in a CD from her bag and closed her eyes. Soon the music carried her off into the realm of dreams, bombarding her with images of hills, fragments of song, and the spiraling pits of Luka's golden eyes.

~*~

The wind screamed through the emerald grass coating the hillsides, tearing petals off the scores of wildflowers and whirling them into miniature tornados that peppered the hills with color. Eagles and hawks soared overhead, their cries unusually loud even for them. Deer darted in and out among the sun-speckled foliage, their head held high and their white tails bouncing with the movement. All the smaller birds spun and danced, their colors flickering in and out among the tree branches.

A tall woman with blonde hair streaked with pale gray straightened and stared up at the wheeling birds of prey, one hand shading her eyes. "Look." A muscled arm appeared next to her and a thick finger pointed up to where the woman was already looking. "It looks like the falcons have come to join them, too."

The woman nodded her agreement, shirt whipping around her slender frame in the suddenly strong wind. "Yes, it appears Hiryuu is coming home."


	10. Part X

(Author's Note: Just as a little FYI: I turned this chapter into a songfic! . I'd love some feedback on what you think, when you finish reading it. The song is "Half Pain" from the Witch Hunter Robin soundtrack, and it's a beautiful piece of work. So I take no credit for it. )

Made For Each Other

---

"_How far back should I have to go? Tell me._

_Everything is so painfully vivid._"

The plane touched the rolling, sun-warmed ground with a slight jarring that made all of its passengers wince. Yawning and stretching lithely, Hiryuu stepped out into the airport and almost suffocated as she was bombarded by people on all sides.

"Hiryuu! You're back!"

"You've finally decided to come home again, huh?"

"How was your trip, sweetie? Are you hungry?"

"HIRYUU!"

Shrieks and the clamor of voices assaulted her ears and Hiryuu cringed inwardly. She had grown so used to the quiet of the Reinhardt's household that she would have to adjust to being surrounded by more then a few people and their noise. Outwardly though, she was grinning from ear to ear, giving hugs to anyone who entered her field of vision and catching several people more then once.

She felt herself being swept out of the terminal amidst a gaggle of people and a gale of laughter; she vaguely remembered someone saying that her bags would be taken care of, before she was taken outside.

A few whispered words from one of her many cousins, and the entire family found themselves back in the small town where Hiryuu lived. Friends now surged forward and crammed themselves in among the family, smiling and joking and adding to the cacophony. Hiryuu felt as if her face were going to split in half; her grin was so wide and she just couldn't stop laughing.

It was good to be home again.

"_The truth is, we couldn't understand each other,_

_so I left and didn't look back._"

While she was here, the pain in her heart could be soothed and covered by the love of her family and friends; while it would never fully diminish, Luka had cut her too deep for that, she could at least be comforted by those she knew would never betray her in such a way.

Obviously, her and Luka were not meant for one another, and as she looked back upon it now, she had her regrets, but in the big scheme of things, she forced herself to think it was for the best.

"Hiryuu? Hiryuu?" An obnoxious hand waved itself in front of her face and she automatically pulled her head back and glared down at the offender.

"Kyatto. I should have known," she said with a smirk. The pigtailed little girl smirked back at her as a myriad of other children came and latched onto every available part of her. Their chorus of 'Hiryuu! Hiryuu!' drowned out even the laughter and chatter of the adults.

With a mock look of annoyance, the blonde mage scooped as many of them up into her arms as she could, almost tripping as the others continued to cling to her legs. "_It's a good thing I tied my hair up this morning._"

Hugs and kisses were exchanged, the ones from the children sticky and wet, the ones from Hiryuu loving and benevolent. Finally, her aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, and friends managed to yank all the children off her and take them home, already making plans for a feast that night.

Shaking her head, the young woman suddenly found herself alone with only her mother, father, and grandmother. With a sigh, she hugged them all tightly, reveling in the sudden silence.

"Come on, dear. Let's get you home." Her mother's voice was soft and caring and Hiryuu found herself fighting to hold back tears she had been stifling for hours.

"_I never carry out my promises._

_So long ago I threw away my brightness,_

_and like the light from the morning sun, it can never return._"

The small house where she had grown up was as welcoming and warm as she remembered it to be. With a sigh, she flopped down onto one of the plump chairs and rubbed her face with her hands. Arms wrapped around her from all sides and she kept her eyes closed, sensing whom each person was by their feel. Her father's burly arms held her firmly, but tenderly, afraid of squeezing his daughter too tightly. Her grandmother's thin arms; though they were thin and seemed brittle, held as much strength as her father's, and they were gentle; lastly, her mother's slender arms, not as strong as her husband's but still firm and loving.

Finally opening her eyes, she looked up at all of them with tears sparkling at the corners of her eyes. "It's so good to be home," she explained, seeing their questioning gazes.

One last hug was exchanged and the little family seated themselves with the newly returned Hiryuu, talking quietly of her travels and of things that had happened while she was gone. They knew of her mission, but none wanted to ask; they had seen the quick flash of pain in her eyes when she had looked at them through the tears. She would tell them when she was ready.

"-and Daina had her baby. That's pretty much it, I guess." Her mother finished speaking and grinned at her daughter; Hiryuu grinned back, both knew how much this baby had been anticipated. Both Daina and her husband were pretty talented as far as magical skills went and everyone wanted to see how their child would shape up.

"Your cousin Kyo _finally_ mustered the courage to ask Skye to marry him; she said 'yes' of course," her father added, snorting.

The wizard laughed out loud at this. Kyo was known more for his temper and fighting skills rather then his ways with women.

"_It lies beside this cold heart, frozen,_

_so completely mindless that it persists forever._"

The day slowly darkened outside, and as it did so, Hiryuu found herself once more surrounded by people and clatter as the little town gathered together in the dusk for the promised get-together.

Tables of food were laid out and lanterns were lit; children ran and played in the jumping shadows, the sound of their laughter was long-lost music to Hiryuu's ears.

But try as she might, she just couldn't ignore the anguish in her heart. Seeing Kyo come up to her with his future bride on his arm had only made things worse. She had forced a smile and a hug for their sake, but behind her mask she was crumbling.

"_Numbly, I gather the remnants of my emotions,_

_and searching for redemption I . . ._

_Fall into a light sleep on a lonely night._"

As the night wore on, an aching exhaustion set in and Hiryuu found herself becoming more and more numb. Her smiles were more forced and her laughter rang out less and less often. People didn't seem to notice, however, as someone brought out a guitar and someone else yanked out a flute. The dancing began and Hiryuu found herself on the receiving end of many dance invites. Accepting a few and declining the rest, she allowed herself to be twirled around for a few songs before politely excusing herself and wandering a little away from the others.

The stars shone cold and beautiful overhead and the young wizard sighed as she gazed up at them, the music floating faintly to her on the perfumed breeze. She touched cold hands to her face to try and cool the heat that flushed her cheeks, sighing.

One tear slipped down her face, further cooling her skin, and she didn't bother to wipe it away as she watched the moon rise.

Many long moments later, she heard a soft voice from behind her. "Hiryuu?"

Turning around, she caught the gaze of one of her cousins, Sousuke. "What's wrong?" he asked, eyes overflowing with concern.

With a strangled sob, Hiryuu threw herself into his arms. Sousuke had been her best friend ever since they were little. The two were the same age and had grown up together, their birthdays being only days apart. Oftentimes they had turned to the other when things grew too hard for them, and each time they had found counsel and comfort; a safety in their bond.

"_I'm beginning to learn the designs of sorrow,_

_makes me fear the overflowing darkness._"

Sousuke sank to the ground, cradling her to his warm body as he felt hers tremble with sobs. "Oh, Hiryuu . . ." Spiky brown hair fell into his eyes as he bowed his head over hers protectively.

"_I never carry out my promises._

_So long ago I threw away my brightness,_

_and like the light from the morning sun, it can never return._"

"What have they done to you. . .?"


	11. Part XI

Made For Each Other

---

"Now, tell me more about this Luka character." Sousuke's voice was full of contempt and a lust for revenge. Throughout their entire childhood, Hiryuu could only remember a handful of times when Sousuke had lost his renowned placid temper; each time it had been over a major insult or physical harm to family member or close friend. She smiled softly at the thought; he was the exact opposite of her, who lost her own famous temper over the drop of a hat.

Sousuke caught the little smile and let her drown in her thoughts for a while before he wiggled long fingers before her eyes, calling out her name. "Hiryuu!"

Jumping a little, she playfully snapped at his fingers, laughing as he drew them back with lightning-fast reflexes and a mock look of fear. Her laughter was replaced by a sigh as her cousin leaned back against the trunk of a tree, putting his arms behind his head and crossing one leg over the other, the perfect picture of a patient listener.

And patient he was. Sousuke listened as his cousin and best friend poured out her entire story, even though it was often punctuated by tears and much sobbing. He sat quietly during the entire tale, not moving even to offer comfort; he knew Hiryuu well, possibly better even then anyone else, and he knew that right now she needed an outlet, not a comfort source.

Finally finished, Hiryuu wiped her eyes with her hand and glanced over to see the dangerous signs of anger brewing in Sousuke's violet depths.

That was another thing that had set them apart as children, something that had always seemed to bring them closer together: their eyes. The color, the long lashes, and even the way they danced with laughter and boiled with anger were exactly the same. Oftentimes, they had found their mothers jokingly wondering if maybe the two had been twins somehow separated before their births.

Now the emotion burning in Sousuke's eyes reminded Hiryuu much of Luka's own anger and she cringed inwardly as he stood up suddenly. "Where is this bastard Luka?"

"Sousuke!"

"Where is he?!?! I will-"

"SOUSUKE!!!"

Startled at the sudden outburst from Hiryuu, he finally looked down at her and saw the lingering pain in her identical violet orbs. Sighing, he sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, squeezing them in a half hug. "I really gotta stop that, huh?"

Grinning, Hiryuu punched him playfully and replied, "Yeah, I'm the one who's supposed to throw the temper tantrums."

The two sat in silence for a few more minutes before Hiryuu broke the quiet by asking, "So Sousuke . . . find yourself a girlfriend?"

With a roar, he leapt up and she ran away from him, gleefully darting about and throwing her teasing remarks back over her shoulder. Whooping loudly, Hiryuu fell as he tackled her and the two rolled and tumbled playfully under the benevolent guardian moon.

---

Sunlight painted fire on the insides of her eyelids and she rolled over, muttering inappropriate curses under her breath. Soft grass tickled her nose and she sneezed. It took a few moments for her sleep-fuzzed brain to finally process the fact that she was not in a bed nor in a house.

Sitting up suddenly, she found herself almost blinded by bright sunlight. Squinting, she looked over and found Sousuke sleeping beside her, a muscled arm thrown over his face to protect it from the light. "_That's right . . . I remember now. . ._"

The two had eventually stopped their wrestling game; Sousuke had the slight physical advantage over his smaller female cousin and Hiryuu had found herself paying for her teasing by being pinned to the ground and tickled until she apologized.

Worn out, the two had lain on their backs and talked quietly of anything and everything as they stared up at the dazzling stars above. Remembering this, Hiryuu could only guess that they had fallen asleep out here in the large field, and were only now awakening.

"_Just like when we were kids . . ._"

She reached over and jabbed Sousuke in the ribs; he sat up with an exclamation of "Holy Shit!" and glared at Hiryuu, his eyes still clouded with sleep.

Yawning, he looked around and casually remarked, "Reminds you of when we were kids, huh? Sleeping out in the fields all the time, climbing trees, and getting covered in mud in the river?" He looked over at her and arched one eyebrow.

She grinned at him and stretched languorously, yawning much as he had. They sat for about another hour, watching the hawks circle above, and once again talking in soft voices, before both decided, with unsaid consent, to head back home.

They reached the small town a few minutes later, and with a promise to meet up with him and a few of the others later, Hiryuu crossed the threshold into her house and was met by four pairs of pained eyes. Confused, she lingered in the doorway, watching as her mother rose from the table and beckoned to her.

"Hiryuu, dear, please sit down. There's something we-" She choked on her words and Hiryuu rushed over to her side, wondering what could have upset her mother so bad.

Her father and her grandmother were also seated around the table, and they glanced at the two women, eyes full of guilt. "What's going on here?!" Hiryuu exclaimed, noting that the fourth person seated around the table was the wizened form of the village Prophesier, her eyes still dark and sharp despite her considerable age.

"Your presence honors my house," Hiryuu said, bowing solemnly to the woman. One always showed the utmost respect when speaking to the Prophesier, for they held the past, present, and future in the palms of their hands.

But Aviana Truthliver only waved a gnarled hand at the young woman and made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. "Sit down, Hiryuu and stop that. You should know by now, that of all people, it is I who should be bowing to you."

Hiryuu sat down with a murmured thank you and ignored the bowing comment. Her mother sat also and clasped her hands together, wringing them nervously. Hiryuu's father sat in silence, his face neutral but his eyes turbulent, watching all with eagle's eyes that had only grown sharper with age and experience. Her grandmother was the only one who seemed unperturbed, for she sat with her hands resting calmly on the table and her head held high, smiling at Hiryuu.

"The Golden Dragon," Aviana said, her voice gravely. "The Savior of the World; the one who was to rescue an entire population of magic users and set them free from the confines which have bound them."

The girl's mother bit her lip and worried at it much like her hands. Hiryuu nodded, having heard this already, many times before. "But that is not be so."

Startled now, Hiryuu stared at the elderly Prophesier and saw her eyes sparkle with glee. "The Falcon and the Serpent-" Hiryuu glanced at her parents who nodded, "were to give birth to the Golden Dragon, whose magical prowess would surpass all and be outshined by none. It was this child who would supposedly save the world by her union with the darkness. For, to save the world from the dark, the Dragon would have to marry the Child of the Shadow. The Light would unite with the Gloom and a new union would be born; one that would rock the foundations of our very world and create a new life for all in it's stead."

Hiryuu nodded once more, her mind repeating the story as the elder said it to her. She had been raised with these words from birth, raised like many other children are raised with fairy tales and Mother Goose Rhymes. This was her Prophecy, her legend, and she knew it well. "I have failed you, Great One. I couldn't fulfill my duty." Her head fell and as it did so, she heard a whimper escape her mother's throat, as if she were the one in pain.

But Aviana merely cackled, sending chills up and down Hiryuu's spine. "Not so child, not so! For the Prophecies are smarter then we are! They are living things with the capacity to change the universe beyond our comprehension! Oftentimes even their appointed ones are thwarted by the forces of the Dark and then they see fit to tweak their predictions to meet the circumstances of weak mortals. This always keeps the Shadow on its toes, watching for their mischievous little changes and trying to put a stop to them."

"But I don't understand!" Hiryuu exclaimed, bewildered. "Was I not supposed to join with Luka Guillaume Reinhardt and therefore smother the dark for good and restore order to the world of magic?! Wasn't he the Child of the Shadow of which my Prophecy spoke?!" A hysterical note entered her voice and rose in pitch with every word.

That cackling laughter rang out again. "_The Golden Dragon must be overcome by the Darkness before the light is to be seen!_" Her words rang true, echoing with the strains of foretelling.

"Overcome . . . by the darkness?!" With a cry, Hiryuu lept to her feet and ran from the room, her hair streaming out behind her. The cackling laughter followed her all the way to the field where she had been only minutes before, reverberating in her ears. Kneeling down by the river's edge, she emptied the contents of last night's feast into the cool waters and stared at her own reflection once the water cleared.

"_The Prophecy was fulfilled without me even knowing it . . . that's why I couldn't make Luka love me back . . .I really did serve my purpose, didn't I?_"

Tears fell like rain, sending ripples all across the surface of the clear water. "_We weren't made for each other after all. . ._"


	12. Part XII

Made For Each Other

---

Sighing, Nell stared down at her plate of food as if it contained all the answers to the world's problems. She picked at the almost untouched meal and then let her fork drop to her plate with a clatter. Luel gave her a worried look, then glanced up, startled as his brother stormed in.

"Dammit all Luel! Where the _hell_ did you put those Dragonclaw plants I wanted?!" He took a long drag from the ever-present cigarette dangling from his lips and glared at his younger brother with murderous eyes.

Upon seeing the look he was receiving, something inside Luel snapped. In a rare show of annoyance, he stood up, snatched the cigarette from Luka's mouth and snubbed it out on one plates sitting on the table. "What is with you lately, Luka?! You've been even more moody and irritable these past two weeks then usual! And even before then you weren't yourself! What in all hells is the matter with you?!"

The room was quiet. Nell looked strangely at the two of them, then said in a small voice, "It's Hiryuu, isn't it?"

With a strangled cry of outrage, the wizard clenched his hands and gave the young woman a glare that could have melted steel. But before he could say anything, Madame Batolli strode up and smacked him full across the face.

The sound seemed to echo in the room, bouncing off the walls and becoming louder and louder with every passing moment.

"Go after her, for heaven's sake!" the witch shouted at him. "Everyone has had it with you and your sulking! You hurt her, that's obvious enough, so she left. But now, you have the chance to make things right again! Can't you see it Luka?! You two were _made for each other!_"

Luka stared at her, golden eyes wide, his cheek slowly turning an angry red. Nell shrank back in her chair and was immediately welcomed by Luel's warm embrace.

"I don't know why-" he began after a while, all traces of his usual self-assurance gone.

"Oh shut up and go already" Nell's mother yelled, throwing up her hands. "And get rid of these, they smell horrid and they're going to kill you someday." She picked up the package of cigarettes and tossed them in the trash on her way out of the kitchen.

Luka stood there, frozen, for many more long moments before he finally shook himself out of his stupor and drifted down the hallway. "Do you think he's going to do it?" Nell asked, keeping her voice low, even though the magic-user was well out of earshot.

"Oh, he will," Luel replied, smiling a secret smile.

"And what makes you so sure?!" the girl cried, rounding on her fiancée.

"Because three days after Hiryuu left, the piece of paper she gave your mother was gone."

"Piece of paper?" The poor girl was becoming more and more bewildered with each passing moment.

"Yes," he mused. "It had Hiryuu's address on it."

Eyes suddenly brightening with understanding, Nell squealed and giggled to herself, picking up a forkful of her food and finally eating it. Luel grinned also and the two exchanged knowing smiles as they finished their meal.

---

"Urg . . ." Rubbing his face, Luka sat back in his seat and tried not to look out the window as the plane flew high above the ground. "_I'd forgotten how much I hate flying . . ._"

His stomach calmed a little as he closed his eyes, and soon the 21st century's greatest wizard was sleeping fitfully, his ears still ringing with his brother and Madame Batolli's harsh words.

The plane flew ever onward, bringing the mage closer and closer to Hiryuu with every mile. And as the distance between them lessened, the sense of foreboding in the back Luka's mind only increased.

---

Laughing, she took the offered arm and allowed herself to be swept out onto the dance floor. The wedding swirled around them in a dazzling mix of color and sound, and later, all Hiryuu could remember was Kyo's smiling face and the whirl of colors as she danced. "Remember when we used to do this as kids?" She focused on the face of her dancing partner and caught the crooked smirk on his face.

"Yeah, except you were a much better dancer then," she replied in answer to his question.

With a mock glare, Zaio placed his hands on her waist and swung her high above his head, grinning from ear to ear as "Ohs" and "Ahs" issued forth from the people around them. Their family was so large, that there were weddings several times every year when they were growing up, and in fact, even now.

Laughing, Hiryuu playfully smacked her cousin's arm when he finally set her down and his mouth twisted into the crooked smirk she knew all too well. It was the only thing that set him apart from his two brothers, for together, they were a set of identical triplets. All three of them had been a part of Hiryuu and Sousuke's inner circle of friends; the five of them had grown up together.

One such brother danced by, partnered with his and Zaio's mother, Hiryuu's aunt Zena. "What's the matter, Gyo? Couldn't get a girl to dance with you?" Zaio teased.

Tossing long locks of blonde hair similar to Zaio and Hiryuu's own over his shoulder, Gyo answered, "You're just jealous because we're a better dance team then you and Hiryuu."

Feigning outrage, Hiryuu turned and stepped on his foot, grinning smugly as he yelped and jumped a little. The last of the triplets, Kigai twirled by, his arms around their cousin Ten. "Naw, everyone _knows_ me and Ten could win any dance contest." Ten just rolled her eyes and gave Hiryuu an exasperated look, which she promptly returned.

Everyone knew of Zaio, Gyo, and Kigai's intense rivalry, and whoever knew that, also knew to stand back when they got into one of their infamous contests. But as it was, Zena, Hiryuu, and Ten all found themselves trapped into the dance frenzy.

With a shriek, Hiryuu felt herself being lifted into the air again, and soon a circle had cleared on the floor around the three couples. The music pulsed and echoed in their ears, as the people found themselves being swept away on the tide of the melody that lasted long into the night.

---

With a muttered curse, Luka stumbled to the ground, his head still swimming from the plane ride. Grumbling, he slung his pack, the only luggage he had brought, over his shoulder and looked around for someone to give him directions to the address written on the small piece of paper clutched in his hand.

An hour later, he was speeding down the single-lane road, a map and a scrawled set of directions in one hand, the other on the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip. He puffed furiously on the cig in his mouth ignored the clouds of smoke that swirled around the car's interior. Another car came towards him from the other direction and pulled over onto the side of the road upon seeing the speed at which Luka's car was coming towards him.

As the wizard drove past, he caught the last few words of a colorful insult the other driver had thrown at him, and replied by sticking one hand in the air, his middle finger straight up. "Same to you!" came the faint reply, then Luka lost sight of the man as he went around a bend.

"Stupid people . . ." he muttered, tossing the spent smoke out the window. After another hour, several wrong turns, and about half a pack of cigarettes later, Luka finally saw the buildings ahead of him that could only be Hiryuu's town. Cursing under his breath, he skidded to a stop on the outskirts of the small village and got out of the car, grinding out yet another cigarette under his heel. Tossing his hair over his shoulder, he strode forward, leather coat flapping at his sides and spikes glittering in the bright sunlight.

He nearly tripped when a pack of about seven or eight children ran by, all of them barefoot and covered in mud. Growling when he noticed the mud on his pants he shouted after them and continued forward, only to be stopped by a young man, about 19 or so years old.

"What?" the fuming wizard asked him. "What do you want?!"

"You're Luka, aren't you?" The boy was only a few inches shorter then him, and slightly more muscled. His short brown hair stood in natural spikes on his head and the eyes that stared out from under long bangs were a striking violet color.

Luka did a double take and leaned closer, staring into the teen's eyes. With a sneer, the boy leaned back, turned to the side and called, "Hey Gyo! Check out who's here!!" Another teen came over, this one sporting blonde hair that was identical to Hiryuu's except for its length.

"_What is with these people?!_" Another boy, obviously Gyo's twin joined them, he chuckled and a crooked smirk took over his mouth. "Luka, eh?" he asked. "HEY KIGAI! WE HAVE A GUEST!" he snickered and watched as the mage took a step back, his face and eyes wary.

"What the hell is this?! Who are you people?! I came here to see Hiryuu, dammit! Now where is she?!"

"Oh we know _all_ about you and 'lil Miss Hiryuu . . " the one called Kigai said in an overly exaggerated drawl. The three looked exactly alike and Luka found himself looking wildly from face to face, growing more and more irate by the second.

"I want to see Hiryuu!" he shouted as the four men took menacing steps towards him, each one sporting a rising magical aura. The brown-haired one only leered at him and raised one hand high over his head.

"Wait! NO! Sousuke, STOP!" A familiar blonde form barreled into the first teen that had challenged Luka and knocked him to the side. "Please," Hiryuu said in an exasperated voice, "get a grip on that temper of yours! I'm the one who has the nasty violent side!" The teens exchanged grins as if sharing a private joke.

Clearing his throat, Luka stepped forward and called out, "Hiryuu!"

Turning, she looked at him with cold eyes and replied, "Hello Luka."

Startled, he involuntarily took a step back as he caught the hatred in her gaze. "H…Hiryuu?"

With a nod, she turned on her heel and strode away, loose blonde hair swinging almost down to her knees. "Now ya've gone and blown it," Kigai said with scorn and the triplets and Sousuke walked away, leaving the black mage standing, bewildered, in the middle of the road.


	13. Part XIII

Made For Each Other

---

The teens' retreating forms finally vanished from his view, and Luka stood there still, his mind awhirl and his mouth hanging open. "Loyal, ain't they?" Turning to face the speaker, Luka was surprised to find an ancient woman, her dark eyes unblinking as she stared at him,

"What do you want, old woman?" he asked. "If you've come to challenge me also, then I will be forced to-"

He was cut off by cackling laughter. "Fight a young buck like you? I think not. But I must warn you…"

She trailed off and Luka found himself unwillingly pulled into her trap. "Warn me about what?!" he exclaimed, exasperated that he let himself be tricked by such an old ploy.

"About Hiryuu! _The Golden Dragon, the Savior of the World; the one who was to rescue an entire population of magic users and set them free from the confines which have bound them. The Falcon and the Serpent were to give birth to the Golden Dragon, whose magical prowess would surpass all and be outshined by none. It was this child who would supposedly save the world by her union with the darkness. For, to save the world from the dark, the Dragon would have to marry the Child of the Shadow. The Light would unite with the Gloom and a new union would be born; one that would rock the foundations of our very world and create a new life for all in it's stead_," she intoned, her voice fluctuating not only with age, but also with the magnitude of the words she was speaking.

A little leery of the strange old woman with the hypnotizing voice, Luka shifted slightly and felt for his magic. "What the hell are you babbling about? What does any of the gibberish have to do with me?!"

"Everything!" she cackled again. "For Hiryuu is the Golden Dragon, and you-" she pointed a gnarled hand straight at the wizard's chest, "are the Child of the Shadow! It is _you_ of which the prophecy speaks!"

Mouth agape, Luka could only stare as the woman shrieked with laughter again. "But you unknowingly upset the balance and thwarted the prophecy, forcing it to change its ways so the world could still be saved! Child of the Darkness, _you have fallen!_"

Scared for the first time in his life, Luka turned away from the woman and stumbled towards his car. "The Dark has been overthrown! But a new union must still be created! The child of the sacred bonds between Light and Shadow must come into existence for the salvation to last! _The Golden Dragon and The Child of the Darkness must yet become one!_" Her voice followed him, ringing in his ears and blocking out any other sounds he might have heard.

"You will succumb to your destiny! There is no escape for you!" Her laughter was cut off from hearing by the slamming of his car's door. Gasping as if he had just run ten miles, Luka grabbed for the pack of cigarettes taken from the trash before he had left. But his hands were shaking so badly, he could barely put the stick in his mouth.

Resting his forehead against the steering wheel, he closed his eyes and tried to calm his roaring blood.

The next thing he knew, there was a loud, rather rude pounding disturbing his serenity. Blinking, he sat up on the seat and found one of the teens from before knocking on his car door. "_I must have fallen asleep…_"

Rolling down the window he addressed the single triplet, not quite sure which one it was. "What the hell do you want?"

Haughtily, the boy replied, "Aviana Truthliver, The Falcon, and The Serpent wish to speak with you." He turned and stalked away, obviously displeased with having to speak civilly to the wizard.

Head still fuzzy with sleep and muddled with fragments of the woman's prophecy, Luka stumbled from the car to find three people approaching him, one of which was the woman from before.

A wild look in his eyes, he took a step back, much to Aviana's amusement. "You are Luka Guillaume Reinhardt, are you not?" the other woman asked, her voice soft.

Mute, he nodded and looked at the man with them. He looked livid, to put it mildly, and Luka found the remnants of his earlier anger seething in his veins once more. He hadn't done anything to these people! What right had they to be doing this to him?! Arrogantly, he straightened up and looked the man straight in the eye, surprised to find satisfaction flashing in their piercing depths. Piercing eyes … "_They remind me of a hawk's eyes._" Remembering the prophecy, the mage amended, "_Or a falcon's…_ _These must be Hiryuu's parents._"

"Are you the Child of Darkness, whose life and destiny are so intertwined with my daughter's?" The Serpent asked suddenly, her slender form and face reminding Luka of the animal that was her title.

"So I've been told," he replied shortly, glancing at the old woman, who only laughed again.

With an air of satisfaction, the woman stepped forwards and, much to Luka's surprise, hugged him, like a mother would hug her son. "You are welcome in our house, Chosen of the Prophecy."

Bewildered, Luka watched her walk away, her face serene and her posture straight as a rod. "You'd just better fix things and fulfill the prophecy right this time," the man growled in a low voice. "Or there won't be a Child of the Shadow anymore." He walked away also, his face turbulent, unlike his wife's.

"Pay him no mind," the old woman said gleefully, as if she enjoyed interfering with other's lives. "He's just upset because you hurt his daughter." Her eyes were knowing as Luka glared down at her.

"And just how do you know?!"

But the woman merely smiled her infuriating smile and took her leave also; though she did not look back, Luka could not help but feel that she watched his every move. Shivering once she disappeared into a house, he glanced around and saw several more people staring at him.

Scowling, he grabbed his bag from the car and slung it over his shoulder, heading not to the house where Hiryuu's parents had gone, but in the other direction, towards a wide, open field. The glint and sparkle of water caught his eye and he headed towards its source, intending to sit and have a smoke before deciding whether or not to stay in Hiryuu's village.

A few minutes later he was seated on a large flat rock, his bare feet dangling in the water and his typical cigarette hanging from his mouth. He sighed and let his head fall back, ivory hair hanging down his back and pale face being warmed by the sun. It felt so nice to just sit and do nothing for once. So…nice…

"That's Hiryuu's rock."

Startled, he jumped and turned to see the innocent face of a little girl staring back at him, a stick clutched in one small hand. Remembering that this was only a small child, Luka reigned in his rage and asked as calmly as he could. "Who are you?"

But the pigtailed girl only repeated what she had just said. "That's Hiryuu's rock."

Sighing, Luka ground his teeth together and remained as collected as he could. It would do him no good to shout at a girl as young as this. "So you've said," he replied, smiling through tightly stretched lips. "And just what, pray tell, makes it _her_ rock?"

Much to his surprise, the girl sat herself down next to him on the rock, setting her stick down on the ground gently, as if it were a valuable treasure and not just a piece of dead kindling. "This is her rock. She always comes here," the child said, one hand going to rest on the rock, the other latching onto the wizard's arm.

"_Oh great,_" he thought sarcastically. "_I hate kids…_"

"She used to tell me, that when she was little like me, she'd come here all the time and play. That's why I come here, to be like Hiryuu," the girl said, obvious awe in her voice.

Startling himself once again, Luka felt his lips twitch in a _real_ smile. "_To be like Hiryuu…how naive…_" "Just who are you?" he asked aloud, throwing away his smoke.

"I'm Kyatto!" the child said proudly "Hiryuu's my cousin! And you-" she gave him a sidelong glance, "are Hiryuu's husband!" She giggled as Luka's face morphed through several shades of red and purple.

"WHAT?!?!?!" he shouted, leaping up from the rock.

With a squeal and some more giggles, Kyatto jumped up from the rock also, skipping off across the field where she was joined by about six other children. All of them kept throwing glances back over their shoulders at the mage, their faces split in half by wide grins.

"You little brats!" he shouted after them. Muttering curses that could have burned the ears off of the children, he plopped himself back down onto the rock and stared into the river once more.

The crystal waters trickled slowly by, and as he stared at their shimmering depths, and allowed his overloaded mind to wander, he almost thought he could see the slender form of Hiryuu dancing in the glittering droplets. Sighing, he frowned, but the image did not go away.

His stomach doing backflips, he looked up only to find Hiryuu seated across from him on the other side of the river, her unbound hair rippling across the ground in waves around her. He could only stare as she watched him intensely, her eyes boring through his body and into the very depths of his soul.

Paralyzed, he found himself unable to say anything, and only gaped in soundlessly as she stood, her hair swirling around her. "Do not mind what Kyatto says," Hiryuu told him, her voice flat. "She is a wishful dreamer, nothing more."

The Dragon Girl turned and began to walk away. Something in the back of Luka's mind screamed at him, and suddenly, he found himself free of the spell that had bound him. "But…WAIT!" he finally managed to get out, jumping up.

But her body shimmered and evaporated into the hazy summer air, leaving nothing but a swirl of wind, and the smell of lilac in her wake. Frozen once more, Luka stared at the spot where she had been, his heart feeling like it had been covered in lead.


	14. Part XIV

Made For Each Other

~*~

The next morning dawned cool and sunny, and Luka stumbled down the steps of Hiryuu's house, rubbing his sleep-filled eyes. After seeing how chill the night had become and how dark it was out here away from the bright lights of the city, he had decided to take Hiryuu's parents up on their offer and had stayed the night at their house.

He had not seen Hiryuu since their meeting at the river yesterday.

"Good morning," Hiryuu's mother said pleasantly as Luka entered the kitchen.

"Ur…morning," he replied, not used to such politeness. His tall form was headed towards the front door, when her voice rose up behind him once more.

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"No thank you," he called over his shoulder and ducked out the door into the fresh morning air. Wisps of fog still clung to the low-lying parts of the sprawling fields that surrounded the village, but the sun burned strong overhead and the air was heating rapidly. Not too many people were out yet at this hour, and Luka found the street enjoyably empty as he left the house.

Not knowing quite what to do with himself, he stretched and took a deep breath, deciding to head back to the river where he had been yesterday and try to figure out what the hell was going on.

As he tramped across the fields, and the glitter of water shone in his eyes, he found himself relaxing, just a little. Some of the tension that he always felt eased away from his body and he felt lighter then air. "_So this is what it's like…to live your life…when no one's watching you…_"

He approached the stream and headed towards a cluster of willow trees at its edge, planning on reclining beneath their dropping branches and maybe getting a few more hours sleep. But when he pushed aside the feathery strands, he saw Hiryuu already lying there.

Eyes widening, he froze and waited to see if she would notice him. But after several minutes, she still remained motionless and Luka crept forward on silent feet. Looking down upon the sprawled figure of the blonde girl, he saw that her eyes were closed and that she was, in fact, asleep. Snorting, he sat himself down in the little space left by the river's edge and tried to ignore her slumbering form almost touching his leg.

Closing his own eyes, he breathed deeply in and out, trying to drink in as many of the natural smells around him as he could. That had always been the one thing he had missed most about the forest where he trained with Master Cromeheart, the smells of the life around him. Most people, when they thought of nature's aromas, would have thought of flowers and fields of meadow grass, but when Luka thought of his time with Cromeheart, the scents of damp earth, and soaring trees tickled his mind. Scents of the musky pine trees and aged oaks, the smells of clusters of mushrooms and faint traces of skunks and deer.

Now, as smells similar to these assuaged his nose, his shoulders grew lighter, and a little more of the weight of his life as the world's greatest wizard disappeared.

Opening golden orbs once more, he glanced down at Hiryuu's sleeping form and twisted his mouth into a wry grimace. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not bring his magic to his fingertips, could not bring himself to hate her as he had before.

His mind traveled back over all of the memories engraved in his head, expecting hate and anger to rush through him with each passing recollection. But, even as he relived Hiryuu stealing his spell book, stealing his spells, trashing his cigarettes, smirking at him, grinning at him, and invading his house, no rush of ire flowed in his veins, and his brain felt nothing but a sense of loss; a sense of…longing even.

Luka's eyes remained on Hiryuu's peaceful face, and now the feeling of her hand in his struck him like lightening. The memory of his sickness and her care flashed through his head, then drew one last remembrance forth. The female wizard had gotten sick once…and he had…he had…

The mage's eyes widened as he remembered how close they had been, how his hand had brushed her forehead and her own eyes had widened much like his were now. Even now, the hand twitched as if it wanted to reach out again and touch the slumbering girl before him.

"_How can I-? How can she-? I don't know…_" His mind morphed into a jumbled mass of emotions and desires all tangled into one, and he found himself wincing slightly as what seemed like a million voices rang in his ears. Putting his hands over his ears, he closed the golden orbs that were his eyes and remained that way for many long moments, breath coming hard and fast through his parted lips.

Minutes passed as he waited for the tide to pass, and when it did, his hands fell and his eyes opened, immediately drawn to the Golden Dragon once more. Golden hair fanned out around her like a visible reading of her aura, and Luka saw that once more, it was hanging in her face.

Without knowing quite why he did it, the 21st century's greatest wizard reached out slid the silky strands off her face with the tips of his long fingers, loving the feel of her smooth skin beneath them. He ran his fingers down one soft cheek and marveled at the tone of her skin, at the perfection of the color.

Suddenly, he pulled the renegade hand back, astounded at his own actions. But what was even worse then that, was the fact that the sleeping girl was now stirring. Her eyelids fluttered and a sinking sense of horror settled in the male mages gut. He was in for it now.

A little groan escaped the lips of the Dragon as she sat up, hair rippling over her slender body. Yawning, she turned those lively violet eyes on Luka and was met with a confused pair of tawny ones. Frowning, she sniffed and started to get up, ignoring the other magic user.

She stretched after she had stood, and Luka watched in fascination as muted sunlight flowed like water over creamy skin and toned muscle. For while Hiryuu was slender, she was by no means weak, and could have held her own in a battle of strength for quite some time.

Seeming to sense the other's eyes on her, the golden haired girl shrugged, rolling her shoulders, and stalked off in the direction of the village.

But it seemed Luka's mouth had other plans. "Wait!" he called after her, not realizing he had spoken until the words were past his lips.

Half-turning, Hiryuu glared at him over her shoulder. "What do you want?" Her voice was chill and Luka thought he could almost feel the ice from where he was sitting.

"…Don't go…" he said awkwardly, still not knowing why he was doing this.

Rolling her eyes, Hiryuu turned all the way back around and crossed her arms, eyes boring into him. "Why? So I can take more orders from the great Luka Guillaume Reinhardt?" One foot tapped impatiently and Luka suddenly felt an urge to explain himself.

But no words would come.

"Well, um…" And for the very first time in his life, the wizard found himself at a loss for words. Usually his snappy wit and sharp tongue could get him into and out of any situation, but not today, and not now. Right now he was too busy watching the irate beauty in front of him as his brain frantically searched for something to say.

Hiryuu heaved an exasperated sigh. "If you don't have anything to say…"

"No!" Luka exclaimed, jerking out of his seeming stupor. "It's just…well…I guess…"

Hiryuu growled under her breath and gave Luka a look that reminded him of a hurried mother waiting for her child to tie his shoe.

"It's just, I don't know why, but…for some reason, it hurts when you leave." Instantly, he felt stupid, felt as if he was standing naked in front of the entire Magic User's Convention.

The Golden Dragon continued to stare at him, but her gaze seemed to have changed; maybe even softened a little. But not much. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally said, "It hurts?"

Nodding, Luka answered, "I don't know what it is and I can't really say why but…"

He trailed off, at a loss again. The wizard turned away from the girl in front of him, too ashamed now to meet her intense look.

He was surprised to feel her hands on his face, cupping his cheeks and turning him to face her. Her eyes were soft now, and gentle, with a depthless look to them that Luka had never seen before. "Do you really mean that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Awkwardly, Luka shifted to face her fully and rubbed the back of his neck with one long fingered hand, his cheeks still held in her palms. "Yes…I do…and…" Here he paused and took a deep breath.

"_Do I really want to do this?_"

"And…I…I really don't know…don't know how to…love, but I…" He stopped again, frustrated and was glad for Hiryuu's patient silence as she waited for him to finish. "I want you to teach me."

During this little confession, his eyes had wandered from her face, but now he brought them back to stare directly into her eyes. "Please, let me try again." This was said with no hesitation and no thought at all; it seemed as if his wit had returned to him.

Another long silence stretched between them, and now it was Hiryuu's turn to look away. To Luka, her every pore seemed to radiate hesitation and indecision. Her hand toyed with a dropping branch of the willow tree and stared at it, before finally deciding to remember him and look at him once more.

Her smile crinkling the corners of her eyes, Hiryuu threw her arms around the wizard's neck, laughing softly. Startled, Luka froze, as he didn't know quite what to do. "You amaze me at times, Luka Guillaume Reinhardt," she said, her voice a caress next to his ear. "You really do."

Struggling a little with his mixed-up feelings, Luka placed his hands gingerly on her waist and jumped a little as she kissed his cheek. She pulled back. "Why the sudden change of heart?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't seem to know much of anything," Hiryuu told him, her voice lightly teasing.

"What?!" Luka's voice rose, and her felt the old anger rising again. But this time it was different, this time it had an almost loving quality to it, a calmer less murderous sense of being. He paused for a moment, pondering this, then smirked at her, deciding maybe this wasn't a bad thing after all. "Well, I may not know much about any of this, but I do know more about magic."

Eyes widening, Hiryuu's mouth dropped open and Luka took advantage of the opportunity to press his mouth to hers, as he had often see Luel do to Nell and vice versa. Both of their bodies trembled with surprise, but neither pulled back.

Opening her eyes, Hiryuu found herself gazing directly into Luka's. Smiling, she pulled away from their lip-lock and leaned her forehead against his. "You never cease to astonish me, Luka. And that's the truth."

Shaking his head, Luka stood and waited for Hiryuu to join him. Together, the two walked back towards the village and the start of a new life.

~*~

No, this is not the end; not just yet. ^.^ I still have one (two POSSIBLY) chapter(s) that I'm going to post. Reviews would be great, and if anyone has been reading this from the beginning and has noticed my all-too-frequent mistakes with spelling and grammar and would like to help me out by betaing this story, let me know! I would appreciate it very much! ^_~

~SanoGirl


	15. Part XV

Made For Each Other

~*~

The music rolled forth from the organ, loud and strong as it soared over the heads of all the people gathered in the small church. A slender form walked down the aisle, and her garb was that of a bride's. A dark-haired man stood at the alter, his eyes never leaving his face as he marveled at her beauty.

The sun warmed the family gathered to watch the wedding as it streamed through tall, stained glass windows. The scent of flowers perfumed the air and petals littered the long, red carpet that formed a line straight to the center of the alter.

The bride finished her slow march and moved forward to stand with her soon-to-be husband; the couple exchanged glances, intense love shining out of both pairs out.

Hiryuu squeezed Luka's hand as the priest began the words of the wedding ceremony. "Don't they look cute together?!" she whispered in his hair.

Luka merely rolled his eyes and glanced down at the blonde girl by his side. "I thought you were supposed to be quiet in church!"

"Shh!" Zena hissed, leaning over and glaring at the two young people.

With a grin, Hiryuu turned and watched as the same priest who had married almost everyone in her family joined Ten and her fiancée Rad for all of eternity. Hiryuu didn't know Rad all that well, but he seemed nice enough and she could tell by the way they doted on each other that the two were in for a long, happy marriage.

She sighed inwardly and stole another glance at Luka, who was watching the proceedings with a fascination he wasn't even bothering to hide. "_I guess this would be his first time seeing a wedding…since he's never been to church before coming here…_" Her lips twitched as this thought ran through her mind and she quickly turned her face back to the alter.

Sensing eyes, Luka glanced down and caught the very edge of Hiryuu's look as she faced forwards once again. He tightened his grip on her hand and felt an answering squeeze. Over the past three or so months, he had grown closer to the young mage then he had ever thought possible. She had shown him so much tenderness, bared her soul so completely that he had found himself unable to resist. It seemed as if the heartless Luka Guillaume Reinhardt had finally fallen in love.

It still sent shivers up his spine when he thought of the very first time they had kissed; it seemed like years ago now, but he knew better. The days seemed to fly when he was with Hiryuu and he couldn't even bring himself to think about going back to Luel, Neo, and the Batollis. True, both knew that he would eventually have to go back, but until then, they were going to enjoy the time they had.

"Look! Look! They're gonna kiss!" Hiryuu tugging on his sleeve shook Luka from his daydreaming stupor and he grinned in spite of himself as Ten pressed her lips to Rad's. Cheering erupted from the gathered family and friends as the groom swept his bride off her feet and ran down the alter carrying her in his arms. Bells rang out, sweet and pure, from the church rooftop and Hiryuu let out a loud whoop as her cousin went by.

Zena wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and handed it to her sister. "No matter how many weddings I see, I always cry," she admitted to Luka and Hiryuu. "I'm such an old sentimental fool."

Laughing, Hiryuu grabbed Luka's arm and the two joined the throng in the aisle, heading to the reception. Zaio and Sousuke joined them, all four getting squashed by people on all sides.

In the past months, the resentment between the Sousuke and the triplets and Luka had faded; they still weren't best friends, but at least the five could be around each other without someone's head getting burned off. Now, Luka and Zaio exchanged identical glances that conveyed their mutual annoyance.

Half an hour later, the people had gathered again, this time in the reception hall. A toast was made to the smiling, kissing couple and then the music began. The first song was a love song, dedicated to the newlyweds, then a faster tune was started.

Whooping loudly, the older teenagers all swarmed onto the dance floor, and a very confused Luka found himself being pulled along for the ride. He looked over and caught a glimpse of Hiryuu's laughing face and sighed. "_What did I get myself into now?_" But a moment later, her eye met his and both her hands gripped his tightly.

"Luka?" His name was spoken as a question.

But the wizard shook his head mutely.

Baffled, Hiryuu stood and stared at him until Zaio swept by, alone this time. "What, can't dance?!" he threw over his shoulder at Luka.

Enraged, the black mage took a menacing step towards the other man, but it was too late. With an obnoxious chuckle, the blonde-haired boy disappeared into the crowd. Growling, Luka stole a glance at Hiryuu and found her trying to suppress a chuckle. "What?" he asked.

But she only giggled and swept him into the crowd of dancing people, moving her body in time to the music and using her hands to guide his hesitating movements. After a few songs, the 21st century's greatest wizard found that dancing had grown easier, and that he could feel the rhythm more naturally now with less of the female mage's guidance.

But just as he had seemed to find his niche, the music changed and slowed drastically in tempo. A wistful grin crossed Hiryuu's face, and Luka caught the unsure glance she stole at his face. Regret flickering in her eyes, she turned, as if to lead him from the dance floor.

But he caught her arm and held it tightly. She turned to face him, surprise plastered all over her face. "Will you dance with me?" he asked, feeling only the slightest bit foolish as he said the words.

A soft smile crossed her face as Hiryuu raised one hand to rest upon his shoulder. Luka's hand slipped down to hers and his other one rested gently on her waist, his grip sure and comfortable.

Sousuke drifted by and he winked at Hiryuu around the girl in his own arms, who turned out to be Zaio's older sister Noriko. Luka also seemed to have caught the wink for he gave a dry chuckle and only held her closer. Sighing happily, Hiryuu closed her violet eyes and rested her golden head on his shoulder.

Luka put his chin gently on her head and inhaled the scent of her hair; he felt his own eyes wanting to drift shut.

Suddenly, Hiryuu pulled back and stared up at him, biting her lip as if something were troubling her.

"Hiryuu?" her lover asked, concerned.

"I love you," she blurted out, all traces of doubt leaving her face. Her cheeks tinged pink immediately afterwards and the blonde girl buried her face in the wizard's chest.

Stunned a little, Luka merely held her and continued to sway in time to the music She…she _loved_ him? His mind awhirl, Luka glanced down at the top of her golden head and almost spoke aloud as his own revelation hit him.

He loved her too.

This was why he had been unable to harm her, been unable to hate her. This was why he had been growing slowly more open over the last ninety days and why he had disliked leaving her side so much. He loved her, he truly did.

A wry smile played about the corners of his mouth. Who would have thought?

"I love you too…" he whispered.

Head rising, Hiryuu gazed into his eyes and trembled at the magnitude of his words. He had admitted to loving her…

Tears in her eyes, she yanked her hands away from him and hugged him tightly, lips pressing against his cheek. Luka wrapped his own around her waist and hugged her back, pulling his head away so he could touch his lips to hers.

And as the music swirled around them in a vortex of sound, the two allowed themselves to be swept away on a tide of euphoria. This was where they belonged, with each other. Despite what others may say, they were not here because of the prophecy, they were here because they loved each other, because each had had the strength to pull through the hardships of true love and prove their worth. They were not here because of a predestined fate.

They were here because they were made for each other.

END

~*~


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